


Deny Me Not

by Fiona12690



Category: Torchwood
Genre: AU, F/M, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-16
Updated: 2013-03-25
Packaged: 2017-11-21 07:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/595141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiona12690/pseuds/Fiona12690
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't supposed to be like this, but his flaky sister had abruptly backed out of their surrogacy agreement at the last moment and Ianto is left with a newborn that he is in no position to care for. <b>Janto, AU, Mpreg.</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Torchwood AU Rewrite of the Novel, " Staking His Claim" by Tessa Radley. I changed a few things around to match the characters. This story is considered an AU. I do not own the concept of "Staking His Claim" or Torchwood. They belong to their respective creators and not me. This story is for entertainment purposes only and I am merely borrowing.

**Chapter 1**

 

" You've decided to do _what?_ " 

It was Friday afternoon, the end of a grueling workweek, and Ianto Jones desperately wanted to put up his swollen feet... and relax. 

Instead, from the depths of the well-worn couch in his comfortable sized flat, Ianto bit back the rest of the explosive reaction that threatened to erupt. He hoped wildly that his sister's next words would settle his world back on its axis so that the nasty jolt of shock that reverberated through his system might just evaporate.

As if the sight of Ianto's swollen belly prodded her conscience, Gwen's gaze skittered away towards the window; she had the good grace to look discomforted. " Grey and I have decided to go to Africa for a year." 

Ianto shifted to ease the nagging ache in his lower back that had started earlier that morning in his office at the quaint coffee shop he owned. Keeping his attention fixed on his sister fidgeting on the opposite end of the couch, he said, " Yes, I understood that part, you and Grey plan to work for an international aid charity."

His younger sister's gaze crept back, already glimmering with relief. " Oh, Ianto, I knew you'd understand! You always do."

 _Not this time._ Clearly Gwen thought this was a done deal. It was rapidly becoming clear why Gwen had dropped in this evening. And Ianto had thought his sister's anticipation about the baby's imminent arrival had driven the surprise visit...

How wrong he'd been!

Gathering himself, Ianto said slowly, " I don't quite understand the rest. What about the baby?"

The baby.

The baby in his belly that Gwen had been so desperate for. Gwen's baby. A baby girl. Gwen and Grey had been present at the twenty-week ultrasound when the baby's sex had been revealed. Afterward the pair had gone shopping to finish buying furnishings for a nursery suitable for a baby girl.

Yet now that very same baby girl suddenly appeared to have ceased to be the focus of his sister's universe.

" Well," Gwen wet her lips " obviously the baby can't come with."

It wasn't obvious at all.

" Why not?" Ianto wasn't letting Gwen wriggle out of her responsibilities so easily. _Not this time._ This wasn't the course of expensive French lessons that Gwen had grown tired of... or the fledgling bakery business that Ianto had sunk money into so that Gwen would have a satisfying career when the one she'd chosen had become impossible. This was the baby Gwen had always dreamed of one day having.

When Gwen bit her lip and tears welled up in her eyes, a familiar guilt consumed Ianto. Before he could relent, as he always did, he said, " Gwen, there's no reason why the baby cannot go with you. I'm sure you'll find people in Africa will have babies."

The tears swelled into big, shiny drops. " What if the baby becomes ill? Or dies? Ianto, it's not as if this is a five-star beach resort. This is aid work in a poverty-stricken part of Africa."

Refusing to be drawn into his sister's dramatics, Ianto leaned forward and tore a tissue from the box on the cherrywood coffee table in front of the couch, then passed it to Gwen.

" Do you even know what kind of infrastucture exists? You could ask whether a baby would be safe." But Ianto suspected he was fighting a losing battle when Gwen failed to answer. He tried again. " If it's so unsafe, then what about your own health? Your safety? Have you and Grey thought this through? Do you really want to be living in a war zone?"

" It's not a war zone," Gwen denied hotly. The tears had miraculously evaporated without a dab from the tissue that drifted to the hardwood floor below. " Credit me with some sense. It's Malawi. The country is stable, the people are friendly. It's poverty and illiteracy that we will be fighting."

So much for Gwen's claim that it would be impossible to take the child there. But Ianto knew he'd lost the battle; Gwen had already made up her mind, the baby was not going with her. 

" So what will happen to the baby?"

Silence.

Gwen's eyes turned pleading, just like those of Myfanwy, the beloved husky pup from their childhood.

" No! It is not staying with me." Ianto made it a statement. A _firm_ statement. The kind he used when delivering an ultimatum to opposing coffee shop supply companies. 

Gwen opened her mouth.

The baby chose that moment to kick.

Ianto squeezed his eyes shut and suppressed a gasp at the hard jab against his ribs. Perspiration pricked at his forehead. He rubbed his side.

Thrusting the pain away, he opened his eyes and said to his sister, " Have you spoken to Tosh about your new plans?" Ianto suspected Toshiko Sato, the social worker who had been involved in helping arrange the paperwork side of the adoption for Gwen and Grey, would be as floored as he was by Gwen's change of heart.

" Grey is right. We're too young to become parents," Gwen said, sidestepping Ianto's question. " We haven't even been married a year."

Drawing a deep breath, Ianto replied slowly, " A bit late to come to the conclusion that you're not ready to be parents."

Nine months too late to be precise.

Ianto patted his own swollen stomach and watched mercilessly as Gwen flushed.

" This baby is due next week. All your life you wanted to get married, start a family... that's why you did an early childcare course." It was why Ianto was now stuck across the couch from his sister like a stranded whale with a bulging belly. " How can you walk away from your child now?"

He had a nasty suspicion that he knew what, or rather, who was behind the change of heart. Grey's older brother. Jack Harkness.

Bossy big brother. Billionaire. Whorish sex-fiend.

Ianto couldn't stand the man. He'd been furious to discover that Grey had gotten married without his say-so. He'd caused poor Gwen endless tears with his terrifying tirades. Only by signing a post-nuptial agreement that allowed Gwen the barest of maintenance in the case of divorce, and skewed everything in favor of the Harkness dynasty had Gwen escaped his ire. Ianto'd had a fit when he'd learned about the contract, and his alarm had grown when he read the terms. But by then it had been too late. The marriage was a done deal.

And Gwen hadn't asked him for his previous expertise... or his help. 

Of course, Jack hadn't been in favor of the baby plan, either. Ianto had known from the moment he'd switch to a language that even Ianto had never even heard of. Grey had gone bright red, clearly he'd been less happy with Big Brother's opinions.

Now it sounded like Big Brother had finally gotten his way and managed to persuade Grey that he wasn't ready to become a parent.

Shifting again to ease his body's increasing discomfort, Ianto tried to stem the emotions that were swirling around inside him. Disbelief. Confusion. The beginnings of anger. None of this cocktail of emotions could be good for the baby. And, even though Ianto had never any intentions of having his own child, he'd taken great care of this one. He'd eaten well, going to extreme lengths to cut out his never-ending cups of coffee habit, he'd even shortened his workday and made certain he'd been in bed before 22:00 each night. He'd even taught himself to meditate so that the baby wouldn't be contaminated by his stressful business-running thoughts.

All because he'd wanted to make sure the baby was perfect. His gift to Gwen.

A gift Gwen was now returning. Unborn, rather than unwrapped.

How did one return a baby, for heaven's sake. A baby that was a week away from becoming a live person?

Which brought Ianto to...

" You're not leaving for Africa before the baby is born." He'd made it another statement. " There will be decisions that have to be made before you go." 

Panic turned Gwen's eyes wide. " No! I can't." 

" What do you mean you _can't?_ "

" I can't handle those decisions. We've already booked our tickets. You'll need to make the arrangements."

" Me?" Drawing a deep shuddering breath, Ianto went cold. " Gwen, this is a baby we're talking about, you can't just walk away." 

His sister's gaze dropped pointedly to Ianto's very round stomach. " You're still the legal carrier, the adoption doesn't kick in until twelve days after the baby's born. You know that Ianto. Because you told me so yourself." 

Of course he knew it. Knowing stuff like that used to be part of his job as one of the most respected lawyers for Torchwood in London, before he returned home to Cardiff after the death of his girlfriend, Lisa Hallet. But the knowledge was only just starting to sink in that Gwen was planning to leave him holding the baby!

" Oh, no!" Shaking his head, Ianto replied emphatically, " The only reason I lent you my body was so that you could have the baby you always dreamed of having. This is _your_ dream, Gwen. Your baby!" _My nightmare._ Then, in case it hadn't sunk in, he added pointedly, " Yours and Grey's."

" It's _your_ egg."

" Only because you can't..." Ianto bit off the words that had almost escaped his mouth.

Too late.

Gwen had paled.

Driven by remorse, Ianto pushed his colossal self from the couch and reached for his sister. Gwen was as stiff as a wooden block in his arms. " I'm sorry, Gwennie, I shouldn't have said that." 

" It's the truth." Gwen's voice was flat. " I don't have eggs or anything, I can't have children." 

" So why..." Ianto almost bit his tongue off. He tightened his hold on his sister.

" Don't worry, you can ask. No, I'll ask for you. ' Why are you doing this? Why are you going to Africa without the baby?' That's what you really want to know, isn't it Ianto?" 

Ianto inclined his head. 

" I'm not sure I can explain." Gwen shrugged out of his hold. Given no choice, Ianto let go of his sister.

While Gwen gathered her thoughts, Ianto became aware of the stark silence that stretched to the breaking point between them across the length of the couch. A silent divide. It might as well have been an ocean because his sister had already retreated mentally farther than the arm's length that separated them.

Then Gwen started to speak. " This is something both Grey and I have to do." The blank, flat stare she fixed on Ianto was a little unnerving. " I have to find myself, Ianto. Find out who I am. All my life I wanted to teach little children, and have a houseful of kids at home." Her eyes grew darker, pained. " But things didn't go according to plan." 

" Gwen..." 

" I loved my job at the Little Angels Care-Center...." 

" Gwen." The pain in his little sister's voice was unbearable. " Stop. Please!"

But Gwen carried on as if she hadn't heard. " I couldn't work there after the accident... after I found out the truth, that there never would be any babies."

" Gwennie..." 

Gwen ducked out of Ianto's reach. 

An unwelcome sense of rejection filled Ianto. Followed by emptiness. Instantly he scolded himself for his selfishness. He shouldn't feel hurt. Gwen was suffering.

Yet, despite all his empathy for his sister, the most important question still remained unanswered: What about the baby? _The baby I helped create to fulfull your dream?_ " But Gwen, you will have a baby now. Along with a husband who loves you."

_Wasn't that enough?_

Eyes softening, Gwen admitted, " Yes, I was very, very fortunate to find Grey."

Ianto hadn't been so sure of that in the beginning. In fact, he'd foreseen nothing but heartbreak ahead for his sister. The arrival of Jack Harkness in Cardiff had been big news. Not satisfied with inheriting millions from the hotel empire built by his father, the American has expanded the dynasty by building up the best cruise liner operation around the world. What had been a complete surprise was what everyone learned through the newpapers. The American had fallen in love with Cardiff and planned to relocate himself permanently. He'd sent his brother to Cardiff to secure corporate offices and staff them for Harkness Cruising's new base. At first Ianto had been less than impressed with the younger Harkness. With all of the Harkness money Grey threw around, Ianto deemed him spoiled and irresponsible. Nothing fortunate in that. Yet there was no doubt that he loved his sister... and thankfully lost that reckless edge that had worried Ianto so much at first. But heading off to Africa without the baby was not the right thing for Gwen.

The baby...

Ianto's hand crept to his stomach.

Mindful of how much his sister hated it when he nagged, Ianto tempered his outrage. " You can't just leave a baby for a few months... or even a year... and hope it will be there when you get back." 

" I know, Ianto." Gwen's eyebrows drew together. " Don't try to put the guilts on me. I'm not ready for a baby, neither of us are." 

Ignoring his sister's unfair accusation, Ianto tried to fathom out what Gwen's response meant. Did she intend to give the baby up for adoption? Shock chilled Ianto. Had his sister thought this through? He would hate to see Gwen suffer when it one day came home to her what she'd lost. Perhaps Gwen needed to be reminded of that.

" If you're thinking about giving the baby up for adoption, just remember it's not going to be easy to find a surrogate again if you decide you want a baby when you come back from Africa." 

He certainly wouldn't be doing it again. He shouldn't even have done it this time. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb decision. That's what came of making decisions with his heart rather than his head.

Gwen flicked back a lock of her hair away from her face. " We can do what Jack suggested when we first talked about you being our surrogate, put our names down to adopt a baby." 

He'd known Grey's high-handed brother was behind this!

The ache in his lower back that had been worsening all day, intensified. It wasn't worth arguing with Gwen, pointing out that putting down your name didn't guarantee a baby because so few become available for adoption. And when one did, the legal carrier of the child had the final say. That person alone could choose whichever couple they wanted, there no waiting list, no way to predict who that person would choose.

But right now Gwen's future plans were not his concern.

" And what about this baby?" Ianto knew he sounded angry. But, damn it, he _was_ angry. Jack made his blood bubble, even when he wasn't present. Just the mention of the man was enough! " You just can't dump it..."

" I'm not dumping it, you're the legal carrier. I know you'll make the best decision for the baby." There was an imploring expression in his sister's eyes that caused the hairs at the back of Ianto's neck to stand on end. 

Hell no! Gwen _had_ planned to leave the baby with him and come back to claim it. Panic prickled through him. " I _can't_ keep the baby."

Gwen's eyes teared up again. " I know I shouldn't have expected you to. But you always wanted the adoption of the baby to us to be an open one. So I hoped you would consider..."

" No!" Ianto bellowed, panic wrapping around his senses. " We have a surrogacy arrangement..." 

Gwen was shaking her head. " But Ianto, you explained we can't actually adopt the baby until after you sign the consent to give her up on the twelfth day. As the legal carrier, you're entitled to change your mind, but so are we."

He'd explained the legalities too well to his sister. Ianto swallowed a curse. " You can't change your mind, because I can't keep this baby, Gwen!"

Gwen sighed as if she had not a care in the world. " We already have. We're not ready to raise a child. I don't even want to think about the decision you're going to have to make, but you have to do what you feel is right, Ianto. It's your body, your b..."

" Don't tell me it's my baby!"

Gwen's eyes became wide and dewy. " I think I always knew deep in my heart that you wouldn't agree to keep her, and I've made peace with that. Even though I hoped..." His little sister's voice trailed off.

Did Gwen not know how much this _hurt_? What she was asking? The pain that pierced his chest was sharp and unforgiving. And guilt made it worse. Ianto wished he could burst into tears... weep and wail. But he couldn't. Instead, he fought for composure.

He'd always been the adult in their relationship. No doubt Gwen had known all along he would agree to sort everything out.

His heart was racing, and his head had started to pound. The ache in his back seemed to be growing worse by the minute. Ianto knew all this couldn't be good for the baby. He had to calm down. _Think of the baby._ He drew a shuddering breath.... counted to five... and exhaled slowly. 

" I don't have time for a pet, Gwen, much less for a baby. I have a job, a demanding business to run." 

Gwen was staring at him again, her bottom lip quivering.

Ianto refused to feel one bit guilty. He was _not_ going to be left holding the baby; he couldn't keep it. That had never been the plan. The baby had been conceived for Gwen, and Grey, to parent. This was not his baby.

Lifting his hand from his belly, he said, " Then we're in agreement. I have no choice but to give your baby up for adoption."

" If you see no other way out." 

Before he could reiterate that this was not his preference, that the baby was Gwen and Grey's responsibility, to his horror he felt a sharp crippling pain in his side. He let a scream tumble from his lips.

Gwen's baby girl was not going to wait another week to be born. 

 

***

Night had already fallen by the time Jack Harkness strode into the waiting room set aside for family visitors on the hospitals first floor. He didn't notice the calming decor in gentle blues and creams lit up by strategically placed wall sconces. Instead, his focus homed in on where his brother sprawled across an overstuffed chair while watching a wide-screen television.

Fixing his startlingly blue eyes on Grey, he demanded, " Where is he?"

" Who?" Grey gave his older brother a blank look, confused.

" The child." 

" It's not a boy... it's a girl," his brother corrected him even as the football game on the television recaptured his attention. " I told you that after the ultrasound." 

Jack suppressed the surge of bitter disappointment. He'd been so sure that the ultrasound had been read wrong. He should've known. For almost a century his family had produced boys... there hadn't been a girl in sight. How typical of Ianto Jones to give birth to a girl. Contrary creature.

He waved a dismissive hand. " I want to see her." 

Retracing his steps out of the family room he emerged in time to see his sister-in-law appear through the next door down the carpeted corridor. Jack strode forward. Nodding at his startled sister-in-law as he passed her, he entered the private ward beyond. 

Gwen's icicle of a brother was sitting up in bed, propped up against large cushions. 

Jack came to an abrupt stop. He had never seen Ianto Jones in bed before.

The sight caused a shock of discomfort in his stomach. Despite the fact that the man was almost as tall as him on his feet, he'd always seemed so formidable. Stern. Businesslike. Even at family occasions he dressed in a sharp, formal fashion. Dark colors, mostly three piece suits with ties in muted shades.

Now he allowed his gaze to drift over Ianto and take in the other differences.

No suit. No tie. No perfectly shined shoes. Just a dark red housecoat surrounding, covering his body. He looked younger... paler... more fragile than he'd ever seen him. The icicle must be thawing.

Jack shook off the absurd notion.

As though sensing his presense, Ianto glanced up from the screen of a slim black phone he'd been squinting at. Antagonism snaked down his spine as their eyes clashed.

" What are you doing here?" Ianto demanded.

" Where is the baby?" 

Jack expected to find the child in the man's arms. He should have known better. Their wasn't a caring bone in Ianto Jones' frozen body. No softness. No tender feelings. Only a sharp, steel-trapped brain and fridged blue eyes that matched his heart. 

Ianto hadn't answered. A haunted flicker in his eye captured Jack's attention, but then the fleeting expression vanished and Ianto's focus shifted beyond him. Wheeling about, Jack spotted the crib. Two strides and he stood beside it. The baby lay inside, snugly swaddled and fast asleep. One tiny hand curled beside her cheek, the fingers perfectly formed. Her lashes were impossibly long, forming dark curves against plump cheeks. Jack's heart contracted and an unexpected, fierce rush of emotion swept him. 

It took only an instant for him to fall deeply, utterly irrevocably in love.

" She's perfect," he breathed, his gaze taking in every last detail. The thatch of dark hair, the Harkness genes. The red bow of her pursed mouth.

A smile tilted the corners of his mouth up. He reached out gently touching the curve wherechin became cheek with his index finger. 

" Don't wake her!" 

The strident demand broke the mood. Turning his head, Jack narrowed his gaze and pinned the other man in the room. 

" I had no intention of waking her," he replied softly, careful not to disturb the infant.

" It's only a matter of time before she wakens with you hovering over her like that." 

" I never hover." Jack replied, moving away from the cot and closer to the bed. 

Ianto didn't respond. But Jack had seen that look in the other man's eyes before. He wasn't bothering to argue... not because he'd been swayed by his denial, but because he was so damn certain of his own damn opinion. He was the polar opposite of his sister, she at least had a mothering bone in her body where as Ianto did not. 

Maybe it was best Ianto wasn't cradling the the baby; he'd freeze the little bundle if he got close enough. Ianto was ice to the core, he'd been mistaken to imagine a thaw.

" Grey called to tell me you're planning to give up the child for adoption?" No discussion. No consultation. Ianto had made a life-changing decision that affected all of them, by himself. It was typical of the man's selfishness.

" Then you must've heard that your brother and my sister have decided not to adopt the baby." 

Was that irony buried in his voice? Jack couldn't read his expression. " Yes, Grey told me at the office." 

" At the same time Gwen was visiting me."

This time he definitely detected an edge. But he was less concerned about Ianto's annoyance than discovering the fate of the oblivious newborn in the cot. " So it's true? You intend to give up the baby just like that?"

Ianto's chin shot up three notches at the snapping sound his fingers made. " I will take care of the arrangements to find a new set of parents as soon as I can." Ianto glanced down at the phone in his lap, then back up at Jack. " I've already left a message for the social worker who's handling the adoption proceedings for Gwen and Grey, notifying her of their change of mind and requesting that she get in touch with me ASAP."

" Of course you have." It certainly didn't take him long to start the process to get rid of the baby. Anger sizzled inside of him. " You never considered keeping her?" Not that he'd ever allow the child to stay in Ianto's care.

He shook his head, and a few loose, dark curls fell into his eyes. " Not an option." 

" Of course it isn't." 

Ianto stared back at him, managing to look haughty and removed in the hospital bed. So certain of the rightness of his stance. " Identifying suitable adoptive parents from Toshiko Sato's records is the only feasible option."

"'Feasible option?'" Was this how his own mother had reasoned when she divorced his father and lied her way into sole custody, only to turn around and abandon the same sons she'd fought so hard to keep from their father? " This is a baby we're talking about, you're not at work now." 

" I'm well aware of that. And my main concern now is the best interests of the child, exactly as it should be." 

Jack scoffed. " You are a divorce lawyer..." 

" I was a family lawyer, I am no more." He corrected Jack. " Marriage dissolution was only part of my practice. Looking after the best interest of children and....."

"Whatever." Jack waved an impatient hand. " I'd hoped for a little less business and a little more emotion right now."

From the lofty position of the hospital bed he raised an eyebrow in a way that instantly rankled. " You don't transfer skills learned from business to your home life?" 

" I show a little more compassion when I make decisions that relate to the well-being of my family." 

Ianto laughed, a disbelieving sound. Jack gritted his teeth and refused to respond. Okay, so yes, he had a reputation, well-deserved, he conceded silently, for being ruthless in business. But that was irrelevant in this context. He'd always been fiercely protective of those closest to him. His brother. His father. His grandmother.

He studied Ianto's face. The button nose, the lack of amusement in his blue eyes - despite his laughing mouth. No, he wasn't going to reach him, he doubted Ianto had any warmth to which he cold appeal.

Giving a sharp, impatient sigh, Jack said, " You've got blinkered vision. You haven't considered all the _feasible_ options."

For the first time emotion cracked through the ice. " I can't keep the baby!"


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** This is a Torchwood Rewrite of the Novel, " Staking His Claim" by Tessa Radley. I changed a few things around to match the characters. This story is considered an AU. I do not own the concept of "Staking His Claim" or Torchwood. They belong to their respective creators and not me. This story is for entertainment purposes only and I am merely borrowing.

**Chapter 2**

Ianto's desperation was followed by a strained silence during which Jack looked down his perfectly sculptured nose at him. Something withered inside him but Ianto held his gaze, refusing to reveal the grief that lingered deep in his secretive heart, beneath his icy exterior.

But he wasn't going to keep the baby.

And he'd hold firm to that.

For his sanity.

Jack shook his head effectively tearing his piercing gaze from Ianto. " That poor baby is very fortunate that you will not be her mother."

Ianto growled softly, but otherwise bristled. " I am a man, a carrier to be exact. I agreed to be a surrogate... not a parent."

" Right now you're the only parent that baby has... you're the legal _carrier_."

_God_

This was never supposed to have happened. Ianto turned his eyes towards the window. He stuck his hands under the bedcovers and rested them on the unfamiliar flatness of his belly. After so many months of only knowing his rounded, filled belly. The emptiness felt odd.

Why had he ever offered to donate his eggs... and lend his body... to create the baby his sister had so desperately wanted?

The answer was simple. He loved his sister... he couldn't bear to see Gwen suffer. He also figured by taking care of something so special for Gwen, his gift to her, he'd be able to take his mind off of his Lisa. But... ah. The road to hell was paved with good intentions. Now look at what thinking entangled him into, something that was anything but simple. Ianto knew that if he wasn't careful, the situation had the potential to cause him more pain... more hurt... than he'd ever experienced before. The only way through the turbulent situation was to keep his emotional distance from the baby... not to allow him to form that kind of bond with the baby, the kind that was tenuous and yet had the strength of steel.

But there was no need to offer any explanation to the insensitive brute who towered over his hospital bed.

Ianto turned his attention back to Jack. " I'm well aware that I'm her legal carrier."

He wouldn't allow himself to feel for the tiny little girl that was a part of him. He couldn't keep this baby. _He couldn't._

Carefully, maybe even deliberately, he reiterated, " It was never planned for me to remain her parent. So, please let me say this so even you could understand it. This. Is. Not. My. Baby."

As it stands the surrogate agreement had been signed, the adoption proceedings had been started. All that needed to happen to formalize the situation was to get through the waiting days the adoption laws provided. Once that period was over and he still wanted to give up the baby, the adoption could still go ahead. Ianto never even contemplated Gwen wanting to back out!

" She was created for your brother and my sister, Jack." Ianto replied coldly. " She was made to satisfy their desire for a family. By assisting with her conception and bringing her into this world I've kept up my part of the agreement." Ianto damned his sister and his brother-in-law, so irresponsible. " In fact, I've done more, beyond what was expected of me."

Jack's mouth slanted down, the first sign the rest of this evening was not going to go well. " That is your opinion."

" And I'm entitled to it." Ianto stated drawing in a calming breath. " You shouldn't expect me to even consider keeping the her. Gwen and Grey changed their minds, not me." Ianto had, had enough of being blamed for something that wasn't his fault. He didn't control his sister, or Jack's brother even. He was not to blame for a decision two irresponsible adults have made. And he was furious with Gwen, and Grey, for landing him in this predicament. It was probably due to Jack's initial resistance to the baby in the first place.

But before Ianto could even confront him for his part in this mess, the other man was already speaking. " Stop making excuses. It tells me much about the kind of person you are; that even in these circumstances you can abandon the baby you've carried inside you for nine months... the baby girl you've just brought into this world."

Ianto wondered what the hell this man's problem was. Hadn't he listened to one word of what he said? He drew in a shaky breath. He knew if he started screaming now... " Let's get this straight. Regardless of the position in law, this is Gwen's child, not mine. I _never_ intended to have children."

" Never?"

" Correct. Never." Jack shook his head at him again and this time the look he shot Ianto, caused him to see red.

" And what about your precious brother?" Ianto hissed. " What about his part in this? He's the baby's biological father. Why don't you bother him about his responsibilities? Why me?"

Jack's eyes drifted, slid away from the enraged Welshman. " This has nothing to do with my brother."

Ianto thought his anger couldn't soar any higher. Oh, the double standard. " Of course not. He gets to just donate his seed and walk away scot-free from all responsibility. It's the carrier in this game of role-play who carries the baby..." Ianto paused for a moment before snarling up at Jack Harkness. " and the blame, correct?"

Jack shot Ianto a strange, savage look. " I'm not talking about this anymore. I will absolve you from all blame and responsibility, I will adopt the baby."  
Ianto's mouth opened and closed, but didn't let his shock over power him. He scoffed at such a notion. Jack Harkness, adopting and caring for something more than money or sex. " It's not going to happen. You live in a penthouse and even some habits shouldn't be witnessed by a young one. The baby should be adopted by a couple who will care for it."

" I can buy a house." Jack was determined to ignore the jab towards his more personal life-style. " And the baby is not an it."

Ianto's eyes widened. " What?"

" You said the baby should be adopted by a couple who will care for _it_ , she is not an it."

A light flush crept over Ianto's cheeks. " Of course she isn't. Sorry."

Believe it or not that was the first time Jack ever heard Ianto Jones apologize... and admit he was in the wrong. He refused to acknowledge even to himself that he secretly felt guilty about enjoying his confusion. In the spirit of reconciliation Jack felt compelled to add, " And I will care for her."

" A procession of sex-addicted careworkers is not what I had in mind."

Reconciliation was clearly not what Ianto had in mind. " Do you have a problem with..." Jack was cut off.

" I wouldn't describe a sex-addicted centerfold as parental." Ianto interjected. " You'll need a partner. "

Jack forced a roar of laughter as Ianto repeated his suggestion. " The child will have far more than a young, struggling couple could ever give her. I don't need to marry somebody to provide it."

" You think I'm joking." Ianto paused a moment, thinking over his next words. " I know about the possessions you can give her; I'm sure you could provide her with a diamond-encrusted teething ring. But she deserves two parents who lover her unreservedly."

Jack's laughter halted and moved into Ianto's personal bubble. " You believe in a dream if you think that simply happens because a child has two parents. She will have to make do with me alone."

" Forget it. It's not going to happen, I won't let it."

" It's not only your decision. Fathers have rights, too." Jack lifted his lips in a feral, not-very-amused grin. " I'm stepping in for my brother. In his shoes."

Ianto lifted an eyebrow. Did he really believe it was that simple? Think again. " As you pointed out only moments ago, I'm the carrier. The legal birth _carrier_." Ianto saw the slight confused expression grace the other man's face. " I get to make the decisions, I need only to consider the best interests of the child."

Jack realized from the look on Ianto's face that his solution was not what he considered in 'the best interests of the child.' He froze as it suddenly hit him, what Ianto was trying to say. " How can this be true? This is the twenty-first century!"

" Quite correct, sir." Ianto chuckled in amusement. " We have a winner. And a child is no longer chattel of the head of the household. So I have final say in who will adopt the baby, and it won't be an arrogant, sex-addicted, unmarried millionaire!"

" Billionaire, " Jack corrected pointedly, " if you must offend me, do it right." Jack smirked, watching Ianto smolder even as his own anger bubbled beneath the surface.

" The amount of money you have doesn't make a difference. She is going to a couple, a family who wants her, people who will love her. That is what I intended when I agreed to do this, when I became a surrogate for Gwen and Grey. I'll make sure the adoption agency is aware of that requirement when I let them know because you're not getting her. You're not married."

War, Jack suspected, had just been declared.

Jack folded his arms and fixed Ianto with a frosty glare. " Well, then, it seems I'll just have to get married." The challenge had been issued. He fully intended to meet it.

**!*!*!**

Ianto had to stop himself from letting his expression fall to complete shock. " You? Get married? Just to adopt a child."

He hadn't thought Big Brother Harkness could surprise him. Ianto thought he had Jack completely figured out. But this announcement left him reeling. What would this playboy billionaire want with a child, a _girl_ at that.

" But you don't even want a girl."

Something, playful surprise maybe, sparked in the depths of those sky blue eyes. " What made you think that?"

Ianto thought back to when he had first heard Jack's voice in the family room next door. " I heard you..."

" When?"

" As you came in." Ianto replied. " You asked where the _boy_ was. You never even considered that the baby might be a girl.

" Aah." Jack smiled, grinned a feral baring of teeth. " So _obviously_ that meant I wouldn't welcome a girl, hmm?"

Sensing a wave of mockery coming from Jack, Ianto frowned. " But why would you want a child?" This seemed to be going a bit too far, even for Jack, to get his own way.

Jack sighed, took a step back and calmly shrugged. " Perhaps it's time." He said it simply.

" For a trophy child?"

" No, not a trophy child."

" Not like the others that surround you in your life."

That feral, dangerous grin returned to Jack's face, but his eyes held what appeared to be real amusement. " You desire to be one of my trophies? He asked Ianto softly, but his voice was tinted with something that made Ianto's insides twist.

An image of Jack's latest trophy jumped forward in his mind. Suzie. One of a breed of supermodels known only by their first names alone. Ianto didn't need a surname to conjure up Suzie's lean, bronzed body and perfect face that was usually seen on covers of fashion magazines. Barely twenty-six, Suzie was raking in millions as a face for a French perfume, which she wore way too much of; so much that a cloud could form around her. She was brunette. Beautiful. With eyes that devoured Jack as if he were a hand-gifted box of chocolate. She was desired by every red-blooded man on the planet. She was a trophy any man would love to present to the public eye. So why should Ianto imagine Jack to be any different?

" That is a ridiculous question." Ianto waved at him dismissively, putting his icy exterior back in place.

" Is it?"

" Of course it is, do you think I would stand and just look pretty for the camera? I'm not a trophy!" Ianto hissed. He was not about to let himself be dragged into this man's games, but he did look Jack up and then down, then back to Jack's eyes. " It takes a lot more than money to handle me. You're not my type of man anyways."

Jack scoffed before tumbling into laughter. " That's not an insult. From my observation, there is _no_ kind of man you date. There is _nobody_ you would."

Ianto's eyes dulled as his mind brought forth an image of Lisa. Her dead, lifeless eyes staring at him, her body lying next to him in a pool of her own blood. She was buried beneath the rubble of Torchwood's once grand-standing law office, the roof crushed most of his lover, but only caught his legs. When help finally arrived to rescue them, Ianto was found repeating the statement. Why not me?

Ianto shook the image from his head and focused back on the bombshell he'd delivered. " You can't adopt her."

" Why not?" He took a quick step closer to the bed. His closeness was claustrophobic.

" I've already told you. You're not married, you don't have a partner, nothing."

" That's old fashioned, even for you." Jack retorted.

" Everyone knows you're a workaholic. How do you expect to take care of a baby, when you can't even take the time off." Ianto asked heatedly. Jack had less time for a kitten than he did. A baby would definitely need a lot of attention.

" I'll make the time."

Right.

Sometime between his twenty-four hour workday and his even more hectic X-rated nightlife?This man obviously never slept. His life was littered with women, men and things in between; even before his latest affair with Suzie. Ianto had seen the tabloids. Gwen and Grey remained fiercely loyal and insisted it was all exaggerated but Ianto ignored their protests. They'd both been brainwashed perfectly, by the man himself. In their eyes, Jack could do no wrong. He was perfect. Ianto had seen his type before. Powerful men who used their lovers like playthings. Men who kept their lovers at home, chained by domesticity and diamonds effectively stripping them of everything. Even their self-respect, when something nice, new and shiny caught their eye. Goodbye.

" Sure you will." Ianto said sarcastically. " When will you create this new hour of the day?"

" Dammit Jones! She's going to be mine and I will take care of her."

As if the baby had felt Jack's insistence, she made a mewing sound and stirred. Ianto's insides twisted and tightened more, yet thankfully the baby didn't wake up. But at least it got rid of Jack, he'd shot across to the cot and was staring down at the baby girl.

Ianto sighed softly, breathing a bit easier.

" Money doesn't equal care."

At his comment, Jack's dark head turned. He resisted the urge to squirm under those eyes.

" What's her name?"

" She doesn't have one." Ianto had no intention of picking out a name; that would be one fast track way to hell. Attachment to the baby was a dark and lonely place that he wished not to visit.

" Gwen didn't choose one?"

" Not a final name."

It had puzzled Ianto, too. Gwen had spent weeks pouring over books, searching websites for inspiration. But she had never made a list, only suggestions around Ianto. Now he knew why: Gwen had been bouncing back and forth about motherhood. Choosing a name would've been a tie to bind her to the baby.

To rid himself of that critical, disturbing gaze, Ianto said, " I can ask Gwen if there's one she particularly liked."

Jack's gaze didn't relent. " You were supposed to be the baby's godfather and you have no idea of any of the names your sister might have been considering?"

He was not about to air his theory about why Gwen hadn't picked out the baby's name in order to jump to his own defense. Though he simply stared back at him wordlessly and wished that Jack would take his big intimidating body, his hostile sky blue eyes and leave.

" Why don't you ask Grey what they planned to name the baby?" Seriously, go let him bully his brother. Ianto'd had enough. " Anyways, the couple adopting her will probably want to pick one out on their own. Now, if you don't mind, it's been a bit of a long day. I'm tired, I need sleep."  
The baby chose that moment to wake up.

At the low, growling cry, Jack scooped her up in his arms and came towards the bed.

_No._ Panic overwhelmed Ianto. " Call the nurse!"

" What?"

" The baby will be hungry. Call the nurse to bring a bottle, they'll feed her."

Jack halted in mid-step. " They'll feed her?"

Ianto swallowed. " Yes."

Disbelief glittered for an instant in Jack's eyes, and then they iced over with dislike. He thrust the waking baby at him. " Well, you can damn well hold her while I go summon a nurse to do a job that should be yours."

" She's not my baby..." Ianto's voice trailed away as Jack stalked out of the private ward leaving him with the tiny infant in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3: Part 1

**Chapter 3: Part 1**

As the baby in his arms let out a screeching wail, Ianto's own thoughts screamed at him. _This isn't how it's supposed to be. The nurses are in charge of taking care of the baby's needs. At least they are supposed to be. Who the hell does Jack Harkness believe himself to be?_ He looked down at the tiny human in his arms and tried to feel nothing. He would stand by his statement. This was not his child. She belonged to Gwen and Grey, but now that would change.

How dare Gwen and her husband do this to him?

He just barely retracted the emotions from his face, took them under control when, a minute later, Jack swept back into the ward. Ianto had a feeling if anyone had gotten in his way Jack would have plowed them over. In his wake trailed two nurses, both of them wearing bemused, besotted expressions.

Did Jack have that effect on everyone he encountered?

No wonder the man was spoiled.

At the sight of the baby in his arms, the nurses exchanged glances. Ianto looked from one to the other, hinting that they should take the baby girl and do their job. The baby wailed louder before they kicked into action and moved.

Jack stared, glared at him as if the baby's wailing was his fault and ordered him to feed her. Instead of rebuking him for his impatience, the nurse whom Ianto recognized from the first feeding after the baby's birth, scurried across to scoop the baby from his arms. The other nurse quickly turned away and made it her business to prepare a bottle. Freed from the warm weight of the baby, Ianto let out a shaky sigh of silent relief... and closed his eyes.

The nurses would take the baby to the nursery and feed her there, then he would rest. All he had to do was get rid of Jack, then he could relax and gather his wits before the child was returned.

" Do you want the bed raised higher?"

It may have only been for a moment but Ianto had forgotten that Jack was even in the room. The harsh, sarcastic vowels in Jack's voice caused his eyelashes to lift from his cheek and their eyes met.

" No. If you'll excuse me, I plan to rest."

" I will not excuse you." Jack waved his hand towards the nurse holding the whimpering baby. " You have a baby to feed."

Ianto's throat tightened with dread.

" No!" Ianto stuck his hands behind his back childishly. He was not going to hold the baby again. He didn't want to have to register the warm weight and unexpected heaviness of that tiny little human against his heart again. " The staff is aware of the arrangement concerning the baby, it's been discussed in length."

The nurse holding the baby was already heading for the door. " That's right, sir, the staff have been made aware of Mr. Jones' wishes." The second nurse followed, leaving Ianto trapped in the private ward alone with the one person he least wished to be in company with.

Jack's mouth dropped, opening to let loose a blistering lecture about selfish, self-centered carriers but upon hearing the sound of light foot-falls heading towards them he paused. Ianto's gaze drifted from him and over his shoulder to the doorway of the ward.

" Is it ok to come in?"

The soft, tentative voice of his sister-in-law from behind him had an astonishing effect on the man lying in the bed. The stiff, stubborn masklike face, softened. A smile graced Ianto's tired face... one kind of smile he'd never have directed towards him.

" Gwen, please join us." Ianto patted a small space next to him on the bed. " Come, sit over here."

Jack harbored a bit of resentment towards his brother. His turning, about-face decision of the baby; not that he'd ever admit it to Ianto; left him feeling cold. But he found it confounding to witness Ianto's warmth towards his sister. He expected icy, stone-cold sulks; or at the very least, reproach. Not the concern and loving fondness that he saw.

So Ianto was capable of love and devotion, just not towards his own child.

Something burning and painful twisted deep inside him, tearing open scars on emotional wounds he'd considered long forgotten.

To hide his reaction, he walked to the bed stand where a water pitcher sat on a tray. Taking a moment to compose himself, he poured a glass of water then turned back to the bed.

" Would you like some water? You must be thirsty."

Surprise appeared on Ianto's face at Jack's softened tone. Before Ianto could respond, a deep vibrating hum echoed around the room.

Ianto quickly found his phone nestled between the sheets. " Must be Ms. Sato. I left an urgent message for her earlier."

In the midst of perching herself on the edge of the bed, Gwen stilled.

And to Jack's surprise, he tensed as well. Given Ianto's reluctance to keep the child, he should've been grateful for his offer to take the baby. Then Ianto could wash his hands of her. He never believed for just one moment that Ianto would actually turn him down.

The Welshman's insistence on getting in touch with the social worker showed how determined he was to see his plan through towards adopting the baby out. Evidently, he wanted to make sure it was airtight.

The glass thudded on the bed stand as Jack set it down, the water threatening to spill over. He didn't notice that of course. He was too busy watching Ianto's brows crease in confusion or maybe it was frustration as he stared at the caller ID.

" It's not Tosh... it's my manager." he muttered, taking the call.

The conversation didn't last long. Jack glanced at the his watch 19:00 on a Friday night. Ianto's tone grew colder and became slightly clipped, his responses revealing absolutely nothing about what the conversation entailed.

Ianto was already ending call. " Look, if you wouldn't mind just write in an appointment for sometime next week." He pinched the bridge of his nose. " Just confirm the time with me first."

That caught the billionaires attention.

As soon as Ianto ended the call, he echoed, " Early next week? You can't believe you are going back to work that soon. Have you forgotten that you have a newborn that needs attention?"

" Obviously not." The younger man growled through clenched teeth. " But I have a business to run."

" And a newborn to take care of."

" She wasn't supposed to arrive for another week!" Ianto objected loudly.

Gwen placed a hand on her older brother's arm, laughing. " You really couldn't have expected the baby to appear when you wanted her to, Ianto. But she was born on a Friday evening; early and not wanting to keep anyone waiting, she's exactly like you. You just might have her trained already."

The intensity of Ianto's heated glare could have started a fire. As the saying goes, if looks could kill... Gwen might have just been burned alive. Jack was beginning to see that Ianto lived a very well-paced, planned out, scheduled life. He could see why Ianto insisted that he'd never have a baby.

His selfishness wouldn't allow time to be spared for it.

According to Gwen, Ianto never dated. He didn't even appear to have a social life; apart from his sister anyways. Keeping the baby would mean disruption in his daily life by another person. Ianto wasn't going to allow that. Everything Jack knew about him added up to one conclusion in his mind: Ianto Jones was the most self-centered man he'd ever met.

Except there was one thing wrong with that statement...

Gwen must have begged to get Ianto to agree to be a surrogate in the first place. Ianto carrying the baby for nine months was the one thing that challenged the picture he had built in his mind of the man. Allowing his body to be taken over by a baby he had no interest in was a huge commitment.

But Jack knew that even that could be easily explained; Ianto had been a lawyer. He knew the in's and out's of everything. He was controlling and probably did this so he wouldn't have to risk some other surrogate changing their mind once the baby was born. This must have been a direct and to the point way to make sure that Gwen got the baby she and his brother had wanted.

Ianto was speaking again. Jack, for the moment, set aside the puzzle that was Ianto's motivations and concentrated on what the other man was saying. " Well, that's when I planned my leave," he was informing his sister. " Just a few more days and my manager would have had everything turned over to him until I returned. I planned it that way."

The mirth had quickly faded from Gwen's face. " Sometimes I worry about you. Maybe you need a trip to Africa more than Grey or I. Or perhaps India, take up a smidge of meditation."

" I'm perfectly happy with my life Gwen, I don't need to leave it!"

It appeared Ianto was not as calm and composed as he'd thought. The brief flare of irritation, no matter how small, revealed that he must be human after all.

" Ianto, you haven't been right since Lisa..."

Ianto once again folded into himself and slotted his wall firmly back in place. He clinched the sheets in a tight fist, it was almost as if he was trying to remind himself that this was his sister and snapping at her this very moment wouldn't be best.

From his position beside the bed stand, Jack switched his attention to the youngest Jones sibling. Gwen was biting her lip, she must have known she had gone too far and crossed a dangerous line.

" You were going to ask Gwen about names." Jack spoke into the unsettling silence that loomed around the ward after Gwen's slip up.

" Names?" Ianto's face turned towards Jack for a moment wondering why he needed to ask Gwen about names again. Then he remembered and directed his complete attention back towards his sister. " Right, names."

Jack waited.

Gwen's eyes widened considerably as she diverted her attention between the two men in the room, a question in her eyes. " What names are you talking about?"

Jack had to control the urge to smack his own face with the palm of his hand. " The names you've been pondering over for the baby." His sister-in-law couldn't be this dense. She shouldn't need a prompt. The baby was so firmly in the forefront of his mind, how could it not be the same for her... and for Ianto? What was wrong with these Jones siblings?

" I hadn't chosen one yet." Gwen informed them softly with a hint of sadness weaving with her words.

" That is what I told him," Ianto added quickly, protectively, his hand closing over his sisters where it rested on the edge of the bed. " Gwen, you don't need to think about it if it upsets you..."

Relief flooded Gwen's face as she let a grin grace her features. All traces of sadness gone instantly. " Ianto, you are just amazing. I knew you would take care of everything."

Those words set Jack's nerves on edge.

Shifting away slowly from the siblings, Jack crossed the room. Foreboding filled him.

Gwen's confidence in Ianto didn't reassure Jack in the slightest bit. Because it was clear to him that Ianto couldn't wait to get rid of the baby.

And that was the last thing he wanted.

**/**

Despite all the drama of the day, Ianto surprised himself by managing to get several hours of sleep that night.

Yet he still woke before the first wisps of daylight appeared through the crack in the curtains. For a long while he lay staring into space, thinking about what needed to happen. Finally, as dawn arrived, filling the ward with a lucky moment of complete sunlight he switched on the light overhead and reached into the drawer of the bed stand for the journal he'd stowed there yesterday.

By the time the day nurse bustled in to remind him that the baby would be brought in from the nursery in fifteen minutes for the appointment with the pediatrician, Ianto had already scribbled pages of notes and stray thoughts. After a quick shower he pulled on a pair of loose black trousers and a red T-shirt. Then he settled into one of the pair of padded visitor chairs near the window to await the doctor's arrival.

The baby was wheeled in at the same time that the pediatrician, Doctor Smith, scurried into the room, which; to Ianto's relief meant that he wasn't left alone with the wide-awake infant. The Doctor took charge and proceeded to do a thorough examination before pronouncing happily that the baby was healthy.

Tension that Ianto hadn't even known existed seeped away with the Doctor's words. The baby was healthy. For the first time he acknowledged how much he'd been dreading that something might have been wrong. Of course, a well baby would benefit by having many more potential sets of adoptive parents wanting to love and cherish her.

After the pediatrician departed, the nurse took the baby back to the nursery, and Ianto's breakfast arrived in time to stem the blossoming regret. He practically dived for the one thing on his tray that he had so desperately missed, coffee.

Ianto had just finished enjoying his second cup when Toshiko Sato entered his room. Ianto had been pleased when he discovered that Tosh had been assigned to process the baby's adoption to Gwen and Grey. Of course, that had all changed. Now he was even more relieved to have Tosh's help.

Slight with shoulder length dark hair, the social worker had a firm manner that concealed a heart of gold. Ianto had worked with Tosh a few times in the past while he was still employed by Torchwood. Once in a legal case where a couple wanted to adopt their teen daughter's baby, and then another in a tough custody battle where the father had threatened to breach a custody order and kidnap his children to take them back to his home country.

" How are you doing?"

The understanding in Tosh's kind eyes caused Ianto's throat to tighten. He motioned to the other visitor seat, reached for his journal that he placed on the bed stand and gave the social worker a wry smile. " As well as can be. This is not exactly the outcome it was supposed to be."

Tosh nodded with a degree of empathy that almost shredded the tight emotional control Ianto had been exercising since Gwen dropped her bombshell... was it only yesterday?

" I want the best for the baby, Tosh."

Focusing on what the baby needed helped stem the tears that threatened to spill over. Ianto ripped the pages of his important scribbles pertaining to the baby from his journal and offered them to the social worker.

" I knew you'd ask. So I've already done a list of qualities and guidelines I'd like to see in the couple who adopts her. Besides this list and above all, I'd like her to go to a family who will love her... care for her... give her everything I cannot."

Another nod was given in agreement. Yet instead of reading the long wish list that had taken Ianto so much soul-searching in the dark hours this morning to compile, Tosh pulled the second chair up. Propping the manila folder she'd brought with her against a bent knee, the papers Ianto had given her resting on top.

Then Tosh looked up. " I spoke to Gwen before coming here. She and Grey haven't had second thoughts."

Ianto had known that. From the moment Gwen told him of their decision yesterday, he'd known Gwen was not going to change her mind. But deep down he had harbored a last hope because his breath escaped in a slow, audible hiss.

" Is there anyone in the family who would consider adopting the baby?"

" My parents are dead." Ianto responded, forcing himself to abandon the thoughts of his still living, distant, disengaged parents who he knew would force the baby into the horrible upbringing himself and Gwen experienced if they were allowed custody. " And we have no other close family."

" What about the biological father's family?"

An image of Jack hovering over the bed last night like some angel of vengeance flashed into Ianto's mind. His steel, wolflike eyes filled with determination. His expression downright dangerous as Ianto resisted to give him what he wanted.

Ianto dismissed the image from his mind and said, " There's no one to my knowledge; his parents are dead." A sharp stab of guilt cut through his stomach. Reluctantly he found himself correcting his previous statement. " He does however have an older brother. Jack. But he's far from suitable."

Tosh tilted her head to one side. " Tell me. In what way is Jack not suitable? Hmm? We might certainly consider interviewing him because the court may consider his relationship to the baby sufficient."

" It's unlikely." Ianto didn't want Tosh even thinking about Jack as a potential candidate; or learning that he also intended to get married for the baby's sake.

Tosh wasn't so easily deflected. Ianto knew that and that if Tosh interviewed him she would discover that Jack was determined to adopt the baby.

Ianto's heart pounded in his chest and knocked against his ribs. _No._ This wasn't what he wanted for the baby. Even if he did marry, Jack would farm the baby out to a series of stunning ever-changing nannies and continue with his high-flying, jet-set lifestyle.

" He's a playboy; he has a different partner every week."

That assessment was probably a little harsh, Ianto concealed silently. Jack had been linked to Suzie for several months and before that he'd been single for a while; according to Gwen. Although that hadn't stopped him from dating a string of high-profiles.

" And he's a workaholic," he added in for a good measure just in case Tosh was still considering Jack. Then he played his trump card. " I believe he wouldn't be able to provide the kind of stable home that I always intended for the child. I don't want the baby going to him."

" Being the legal carrier, your wishes will take precedence." Tosh tapped her pen against her knee. " This is still going to be an open adoption, correct?"

An open adoption meant keeping in touch with the new adoptive parents, watching the baby grow up, being a part of her life, yet not a parent.

Ianto swallowed.

This was the hard part.

" Ianto?" Concern darkened Tosh's eyes as he failed to respond. " Research has shown open adoptions are far more beneficial because..."

" They give the child a sense of history and belonging, and help prevent the child having identity crises as a teen and in later life," Ianto finished. He knew all the benefits. He'd had a long time to ponder over all the arguments. " We'd planned an open adoption with Gwen and Grey. The baby would know I was her tummy mummy..." the affectionate term for a surrogate rang false in his ears. " ... her biological carrier... even though Gwen would be her real mother."

" So it will still be an open adoption?"

Ianto nodded slowly. " It's in the baby's best interest."

But dear God, it was going to kill him.

He was thankful that Tosh hadn't asked whether he would consider keeping the baby. He already emphatically told both Gwen and Jack he couldn't do it. A third denial would've been more than he could handle at this stage.

Tosh's head was bent, eyes scanning the wish list Ianto had given her.

Finally she looked up. " I have several sets of IPs - intending parents -" Tosh elaborated, " who might fit your requirements. I'll pull their profiles out and bring them back for you to look through."

" Thank you, Toshiko." Waves of gratitude flooded Ianto. " You have no idea how much of a help it is knowing you are here."

" It's my job." But Tosh's warm eye belied the words. " When are you going home?

" Probably tomorrow."

" And the baby?"

" The baby will go to a foster carer." Ianto was determined not to allow any opportunity for a bond to form; connecting him to a child he was not able to keep.

" Ianto, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but you should reconsider your decision not to have counseling after you sign the final consent to give the baby up." Without looking at him, Tosh shuffled the wish list into the manila file. Getting to her feet she pushed the visitor chair back against the wall before turning to face Ianto. " I know you said previously that you didn't feel you'd need counseling because she was never intended to be your baby; that it was your gift to Gwen and Grey. But given that circumstances have changed, I think it would be a serious mistake."

He gave Tosh a small smile despite having to resist the urge to close his eyes and shut out the world. " I'll think about it," he conceded. " But I don't believe it'll be necessary. I'm tougher than I look."

Before Tosh could reply, footsteps echoed outside the ward.

A moment later, Jack appeared in the doorway.

Ianto's heart sank.

" This is Grey's brother, Jack." He made the introduction reluctantly, and hoped Tosh would depart quickly.

To his dismay Tosh and Jack took their time sizing each other up. Only once they'd taken each others measure, shaken hands and exchanged business cards, did Tosh finally walk to the door. And Ianto let out the breath he had been holding. Neither had even mentioned the baby's adoption.

Disaster averted.

For now.

" We'll talk again," the social worker said from her position in the doorway, giving Ianto a loaded look over her shoulder. " I'll be back."

**End of Chapter 3: Part 1**


	4. Chapter 3: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the rest of Chapter 3.

**Chapter 3: Part 2**

　

*******

This morning Jack was dressed to impress. He wore a dark gray suit that fitted beautifully.

Towering over the chair he sat on, with the light shining behind Jack, Ianto could see that the other man's hair was still a touch damp; evidence of a recent shower, perhaps.

It was only when Jack tilted his head to look down at him that the Welshman noticed a slight dusting of stubble shadowing his jawline. A dazzling blue silk shirt, with the top button undone, curved around his neck... completely distracting Ianto.

Suddenly Ianto was glad he wasn't in bed.

Yesterday he'd felt that he was at a terrible disadvantage and at Jack's mercy as he'd towered over him then as he did now. He felt exposed... dare he admit it, vulnerable. Even now, sitting instead of lying in bed, Jack's height no matter how many inches apart they were, was still intimidating. But at least he could rectify that...

He rose to his feet. " The baby is in the nursery."

" I know; I've already been to visit her."

Annoyance flared inside of him. He hadn't been consulted. " They let you in?"

The hospital staff would have to be told he was not welcome in the future... Ianto wouldn't put it past him to try and take the baby. This man was accustomed to getting his own way. But not this time.

Some indefinable emotion glimmered deep in the deceptively clear depths of his eyes. " Gwen and Grey were with me; they vouched for me."

" Gwen's here?"

Had his sister had second thoughts since Tosh had spoken to her?

Jack was shaking his head. " They've already gone. Grey has quite a bit to finalize before I can release him to fly across the world."

All Ianto could think of was that Gwen hadn't even bothered to come by and say good morning. Hurt stabbed at his heart. Then he set it aside. No doubt Gwen was avoiding him because deep down, he hoped, that his sister was experiencing some guilt for the decision she and Grey had made.

Ianto decided he wasn't going to let himself dwell on the turmoil that Gwen's choice had created.

It was done.

Now there was the baby to think about...

But Jack's response caused him to realize that he hadn't even asked his sister when they planned to leave for Africa. He'd been too busy trying to cope with the magnitude of the shock. Gwen had said she and Grey had already booked the tickets but that's all he knew.

" Do you have any idea when they plan to leave?" It disturbed him to have to depend on Jack for information but he needed to know.

" I believe they leave the day after tomorrow."

" That soon?"

Ianto was still absorbing this new disappointment when Jack asked, " What will you be thinking about?"

" Pardon?" For just a moment Ianto thought Jack had picked up on his earlier hurt at Gwen's failure to come say good morning and was asking about his thoughts.

" You told the social worker you'd think about it." Jack replied, moving till he was right beside him, causing the space in the ward to become smaller. " What will you be thinking about?"

Ianto frowned as he realized he'd overheard the last part of his discussion with Tosh. He had no intention of revealing that Tosh thought he needed counseling. The good thing was at least Jack hadn't detected his hurt over Gwen. " It's nothing important," he said dismissively. " It wasn't about the baby."

" Did you tell her I'm going to adopt the baby?"

" But you're not." Inside, his stomach started to twist. But he stood strong. " I told her you weren't suitable."

" You what!" Jack bellowed out. " I can't... you didn't!"

" I did, yes."

Jack's gaze blitzed into him. " Because I'm single?"

Ianto didn't glance away from his hard stare. " Among other things."

" But once I'm married that will change." Jack muttered softly before stepping closer to Ianto, placing a hand on the younger man's cheek. " You know that."

Ianto blinked. He found himself inhaling the warm scent that lingered on Jack's skin; the kind of scent that made him want to fall forward and forget anything and everything. He shook his head and took a few steps back. He had to wonder what the hell Jack was up to now.

Jack refused to let Ianto step away from him, so he reached out and pulled him closer, " You should've seen her." Jack's voice took on a husky, intimate tone. " She's so beautiful..."

Ianto recoiled, pushing Jack away. " I don't care what your wife-to-be looks like!"

At his interruption, Jack looked puzzled, then he smiled. A smile filled with a burst of charm and humor that Ianto never wanted to recognize in Jack Harkness. It made the billionaire seem all too human. And irresistibly appealing. This wasn't happening. He wanted; no needed; to keep thinking of him as Gwen's overbearing, bullying brother-in-law.

" Not my wife-to-be. The baby, Ianto." Jack chuckled. " She was awake... waving her hands and watching them. Smart _and_ beautiful. You've seen her this morning."

It wasn't a question.

Ianto averted his eyes, reluctant to admit that he'd barely glanced at the baby while she was in the ward during the pediatrician's consultation. Then he told himself he had no reason to feel guilty. Gwen and Grey's actions were not his fault.

Rather than answering his question, Ianto changed the subject. " So you're going through with it? You're really going to get married?"

Jack nodded. " I want that baby."

God, the man was stubborn. Didn't he ever accept no for an answer? Time for him to learn he couldn't always get what he wanted in life. Sometimes someone else's needs came first.

This time, the baby's best interest were paramount. Not his.

Letting out the breath he'd been unconsciously holding since he first smelled the delicious essence on Jack, Ianto said, " Then you need to realize that you're sacrificing yourself for nothing. I'm not going to change my mind. And it's still my decision. As the legal carrier, I get to choose the parents the baby will go to."

Jack went deadly still. " You will choose me... and whoever I marry."

Was that a threat?

Ianto carefully assessed his motionless body, Jack's face stony and serious after his... suggestion. But Ianto needed Jack to understand that he just wasn't going to let the other man bully him.

" Unlikely. This morning I gave Toshiko a list of the qualities I'm seeking in the prospective parents. Nothing you can offer meets even the smallest criteria. She's going to bring me portfolios of the prospective parents to look over... and I'll choose a couple from there."

The tension in the air became electric. " When?"

" Shouldn't you be at work doing whatever it is that high-powered billionaires do?" Ianto knew he was being deliberately provocative, but he never expected Jack to be this concerned about the baby.

" When?" he repeated, his face tight.

Jack wasn't going to relent, he realized. " As soon as I'm back home; tomorrow probably."

" What happens then?"

" The couples have already been interviewed and screened. Police checks have been done. Once I choose a couple and the consent is signed, then the paperwork for the adoption can be filled in and submitted."

" The consent?"

" Yes." Ianto decided to explain further. " Only the legal mother or legal carrier can sign the consent, that's the formal document where I agree to give up the baby, on the twelfth day. And yesterday, the day the baby was born, counts as the first day."

From where he stood Ianto could sense the intensity of Jack's gaze. He wasn't smiling anymore. He was watching him, his head tipped slightly to once side, his brain working overtime. Jack was busy hatching a fiendish plot. Ianto was certain of it.

There was something curiously exhilarating about being the focus of all that raw, brilliant energy. Jack might have come in a devastatingly well-groomed, amazingly scented and well-built male package, but it was his mind that Ianto found fascinating. That ability to concentrate with such single-minded intensity. The ability to conjure up solutions no one else had come up with before.

Ianto could understand why so many have fallen and become attracted to that...

" So you can change your mind anytime up until that twelfth day?" Jack questioned.

Ianto blinked himself out of his thoughts, he was letting his guard down. What was it about Jack Harkness that made it hard to think around the man? " In theory. But I wouldn't do it. It wouldn't be very fair to do that to a couple once I've told them they've been chosen."

Jack strode forward and backed Ianto into the wall, trapping him there with his body. Determination ignited in his eyes. " This baby will be mine; I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens."

Despite the morning sunshine spilling through the windows of the ward, Ianto shivered. He watched quietly as Jack pulled away, smile in place before leaving the ward.

**/**

It was evening.

The sun was setting across Cardiff in beautiful colors. Turning his head away from the beautiful display, Jack dropped down onto the king-size bed in Suzie's hotel suite and watched contemplatively at the woman standing in front of the dresser, the woman he planned to shortly reduce to screaming satisfaction.

Yet instead of dwelling on the pleasures of seduction, his mind was already elsewhere.

It was the end of day two. He had only ten days left. Jack knew he needed to act; and fast.

He had to get engaged; he needed to convince Ianto to change his mind about his suitability to be a father.

That was going to be the hard part and he only has a limited time to do it in.

This situation was enough to make him grind his teeth with frustration. Yet he was a long way from admitting defeat. He'd never been the kind of man to back away from a challenge; and this was the most important challenge of his life.

Now or never.

Taking a deep breath, he gave Suzie his most practiced smile and patted the bedcover beside him. " Come here, Suzie."

Suzie glided across the room, kicking off her high heels, she settled herself on the bed beside him. Long fingertips reached for the buttons of her silk nightshirt, and she gave him a pout.

" How do you feel about children?"

" Children?"

Suzie's eyes widened, and her fingers stilled in the act of undressing. Her lips, still plump with gloss, parted. Jack could identify with her shock. _He_ was shocked. This was a conversation he had never conducted with anyone of his lovers. It was new, ground breaking territory.

He watched her hesitate before she school her expression and spoke in an equal tone. " I've always wanted children."

So far so good.

Coming up on his elbow, he propped his hand beneath his chin. " I'm pleased to hear that."

From across the ebony black satin comforter, with her long legs folded beneath her, she watched him through those catlike eyes of hers. " So you want children?"

What choice did he have? There was a child... and he couldn't walk away from her. But Jack wasn't ready to reveal more. So he gave Suzie the same answer he'd given Ianto. " The time has come."

" I do have contractual obligations."

That wasn't what he wanted or needed to hear. Talk of contracts reminded him too much of... Ianto.

He rolled away and lay back. She, too, was proving to be like the mother, no the woman he tried to never think about. Keeping his voice level, he responded, " You don't have time for children."

" No, no. I'm not saying that!" Suzie edged closer and placed a hand over his in panic as if her were about to call their relationship to a end. " But I never expected you to offer..."

She clipped her words.

Sensing an opportunity, he turned his head towards her. " You never expected me to offer... what?"

" What _are_ you offering, Jack? You haven't actually said."

This was something he liked about Suzie; she was direct. He chuckled softly, secure that he was about to get what he wanted. The sensation that shot through him was familiar; the dart of adrenaline that signified the successful conclusion of a deal. " I'm offering a diamond ring to the mother of my soon to come child."

She barely heard past the words _diamond_ and _ring_. " Marriage?"

Jack nodded. For one uncertain instant he considered telling her about the baby girl he planned to adopt... but before he could speak, Suzie grasped onto his arm and threw herself at him screaming, " Yes! Yes! Yes!"

A wave of euphoria swept him. The first step of his plan had been accomplished. Ianto Jones would stand no chance...

But why was he thinking about _him_ when he should be focused on Suzie? Tightening his fingers around his fiancée's, he prompted, " And what about your contract?"

" We'll work something out; I do want a baby."

Jack studied her from under hooded eyelids. It might be a good idea to wait... to see how she reacted to the baby before he showed his hand entirely. The brief moment of uncertainty passed. Suzie was beautiful, no doubt about that. Sexy, too. And beneath the model-perfect exterior she was well... likeable. Everything a man could ever want. Everything he should be desiring...

So why did he keep remembering a pair of outraged ocean-blue eyes?

**End of Chapter 3.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Jack returned to the hospital late the following afternoon; with his supermodel in tow. His face wore no expression as the pair entered the family waiting room where Ianto had just met with Tosh, and now the Welshman tried his best to match Jack's blank, expressionless face. All day, he'd wondered just when the billionaire would arrive.

Now he was here.

And he hadn't come alone.

Sitting on one of the two-seater love seats, his overnight bag already packed and ready to go, Ianto couldn't help but wish he'd brought a suit to go home in or at least something that would have been able to tame the mop of curls on his head. He looked like an untrained poodle in dirty laundry while Suzie Costello looked absolutely fabulous. Not that Ianto should care... but unaccountably he did.

He wanted to be brisk. Businesslike. The man who achieved everything he'd ever set his mind to; not the scraggly, uncertain and more realistic version of himself that he kept hidden.

Suzie was glancing around the family room with an expression that Ianto had seen on once a many disgusted high-profiles face before. It was like she was confused as to why she was brought here, until Jack turned his attention to her.

Her face lit up with something that could have been mistaken for glee or maybe a form of psychosis.

" Where's the baby?"

Of course those would be the first words from Jack's mouth. Never a hello, how are you? Or even a good morning. It was always lets get down to business and do my bidding. Did he skip pleasantries in whatever high-class finishing school he attended?

" She's being changed."

" The birth went well?" Suzie asked.

Ianto could've hugged the woman for unwittingly preventing Jack from venting his opinionated criticism that obviously perched itself on Jack's tongue; always ready to use. Clearly he believed Ianto should be attending to the baby.

" Perfectly." He gave the supermodel a polite smile. " I've already been discharged."

" That's grand. How much does she weigh?"

Ianto sounded off the relevent stats concerning the baby; keeping the conversation going if only so the Welshman wouldn't have to hear Jack Harkness' voice unless necessary.

" Your sister must be thrilled; she's changing her now?"

And the conversation was going so well. Did Suzie not know that Gwen had pulled out of the adoption? Ianto's questioning eyes slid to Jack. Had he not told her?

" I..."

" I brought Suzie to meet the baby," Jack cut in before he could respond. " She has agreed to marry me." The billionaire smirked before lifting Suzie's hand to flash a gigantic diamond in his face.

" Hell no!" He realized he'd said his thoughts aloud when Suzie's face reflected shock. " What a pleasant surprise this is."

Suzie's eyes narrowed. She was studying Ianto in a way that made him feel decidedly uncomfortable. Her eyes slid between the two of them, back and forth. His discomfort increased. It was obvious that the conclusion Suzie was drawing about Ianto's hasty objection was a wrong one.

And of course, Jack Harkness the smug bastard refused to ease his fiancee's mind and just continued to smirk.

Ianto hastened to correct the notion Suzie had created from a misspoken exclamation. " You don't understand..."

" Let's go and visit the baby." Suzie plastered a smile on her face before turning the expression on Jack. Her fingers danced up his arm then spread out and rested against his well-toned biceps in an unmistakably possessive gesture. The diamond ring sparkled as the light reflected off of it. Her intention was clear as her gaze glittered the word _mine_ towards Ianto.

Suzie was welcome to the man!

As the pair exited the ward, Ianto glared at Jack's retreating back. That man was the most devious, cold-blooded, scheming con man Ianto had ever come across.   
He'd gone out to find the first woman to marry him; proposed; and even without bothering to explain _why_ he wanted to marry her.

Jack was using this woman, but then again Ianto suspected that Suzie had her own agenda as well.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, worry raged for the baby. Given a choice, a fashion model was hardly the kind of mother he'd of picked out. Together, as a couple, Jack and Suzie were so far removed from his notion of ideal parents. This was a train wreck waiting to happen... and the baby would be the most injured victim. Especially if both of them had secret agenda's going into this.

Even as anxiety tangled his stomach into a knot of nerves, one of the caregivers bustled in. " I've changed the baby. Mr. Harkness and his... friend are with her in the nursery. The baby is looking well. She'll be fine to leave." She stopped beside Ianto and whispered in a tone of inquiry. " Toshiko said the adoption is still some time away from being finalized."

Not if Jack had his way...

But Ianto was far from convinced that the billionaire and his intended were the kind of parents the baby deserved. The last thing he wanted was to read about the baby girl in the tabloids and gossip rags as so often happened with celebrities who seemed to care so little for their offspring.

He might not be in a position to keep the baby. But he could damn well make sure it got the best start in life; that meant the best parents possible.

And he'd told Tosh that in as many words he could have written down at the time.

The five profiles he'd gone through with Tosh earlier before rejecting them all had confirmed Tosh's statement that there were many couples anxiously waiting to adopt. But Ianto had a sinking feeling that Jack's insistence to adopt might still prove to be a problem.

" The baby will stay with a foster family until I choose the final adoptive parents." Ianto finally answered.

" That will be one very happy set of parents," the caregiver replied, drawing the curtains further back to let more light into the room.

There was nothing more to say.

Ianto knew it was time to pick up the overnight bag he'd packed hours ago and for him to leave the place where he'd given birth... and leave the baby behind.

**/**

Before Ianto got a chance to gather up his overnight bag and make his escape, Jack and Suzie returned... with the baby. Wheeling the cot into the middle of the room, Jack bent forward to lift her out.

Ianto closed his eyes. Every muscle tensed. _Don't give her to me. Don't give her to me._ The frantic refrain echoed through his head. He hadn't wanted to see the baby before he left. Ianto had hoped that the next time he saw her, the baby would be securely in her new parents home.

A gurgling sound broke through his desperation.

" She's grinning!"

Ianto opened his eyes. Jack was holding the baby close. Face-to-face with the baby, Jack's strong masculine profile provided a sharp contrast to the baby's softness. She looked tiny against his chest. Ianto tensed. What if he dropped her?

" Careful!"

Jack didn't even look at him; all his attention was focused on the baby. He spoke with a soft, but excited voice. " She's laughing!"

Suzie leaned in towards the two of them, resting long slim fingers on Jack's arm, her wavy black hair spilling over his shoulder. " Babies that young don't laugh. She's yawning."

A jab pierced Ianto's heart at the sight of the three so close together. To his horror he felt his throat tighten. He swallowed. The tightness swelled more. He wanted...

" No, that's not a yawn; it's laughter." Jack insisted. Ianto looked at the wide-awake baby and had to completely agree with Jack. To him, the baby looked as if she was laughing. She looked... happy.

Suzie moved even closer, and Ianto was sure that Jack and the baby would be asphyxiated by all of the perfume the woman had bathed in. She took the baby from the billionaire with an easy competence that Ianto found himself envying.

Loneliness swamped Ianto, to his dismay. To ward it off, he said, " You're happy to adopt her then?"

Startled eyes met his. " Adopt her?"

Jack moved. All too soon he stood between Ianto and his bewildered fiancée like some oversized sentinel. He shot Ianto a dark look.

" Suzie and I have yet to discuss everything."

You have got... he couldn't have been that... arrogant... that dumb. Could he?

Over the head of the oblivious baby, the supermodel's attention shifted to the man she was to marry. " Discuss everything, what?"

Yes, he'd been that dumb.

He hadn't told Suzie.

Now he looked a bit shifty. Then he smiled at his fiancée; a slow, seductive and deliberate smile that could have promised, in that moment, everything or nothing at all. " We'll talk about this later. In private."

Ianto, even though he knew tha both of them had hidden agenda's, had to think about the baby. So he threw words into this turning distasteful conversation. " Jack intends to adopt her."

Suzie looked at Ianto, then to Jack and finally down at the infant in her arms. " This baby?" She lifted her head and focused her full attention on Jack. " Why?"

Jack said nothing, still keeping his secrets.

It was Ianto who answered, " I told him he needed a partner if he wanted to adopt her; he didn't explain this to you?"

Ianto couldn't stop the words from gracing his lips as a bit of pity for the misguided supermodel filled him. Jack obviously hadn't taken Suzie's wishes into account. He simply assumed as always, once again putting what he wanted first, not thinking of anyone else.

To Ianto's surprise, Suzie was glaring at the billionaire. " You asked me if I wanted children..." Her voice trailed away as recognition smacked her in the face. " You weren't talking about the future, you were speaking of now. About this baby."

" I..."

But Suzie held up a hand, interrupting whatever he'd been about to say. A couple of quick steps brought her to Ianto's side and she deposited the baby into Ianto's lap. The baby started to cry. Ianto froze and stared down at the crumpled, red face and panic stabbed at him.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

From a removed distance he could hear Suzie angrily saying something to Jack, he couldn't hear the words clearly but the gestures told all. On a normal day, Ianto might have found Jack getting yelled at amusing, but he was in no state to listen. The baby's crying continued. Ianto stroked the baby's back with a tentative hand. When the cries didn't ease he awkwardly patted her... then rocked her a little. The cries paused and the tightly pressed eyelids opened. The baby's eyes were a clear shade of his own ocean-blue. Ianto stared, transfixed.

" You need to support her neck."

A voice whispered in his ear.

He turned his head in surprise. A passing caregiver must have heard the baby's cries and snuck in past the arguing couple. The caregiver repeated her words softly, cupping his hand with her own and showing him how.

" There. Just like that."

Ianto grinned down at the now comfortable baby and could of cheered. The little one was quiet. He turned to thank the caregiver, but she'd already moved on.

He turned his gaze back towards the couple who grew louder with each passing second, louder with each word uttered.

" Why this child?" Suzie's arms were crossed over her chest. She shot Ianto a quick, dark look over her shoulder before moving her attention back to the American. " Is it your child?"

" Suzie -"

" Answer me!" she demanded. Suzie swung her gaze back to him. " ... and yours?"

That was taking it too far. It was one thing to needle Jack, but Ianto didn't want anyone thinking he'd slept with the overgrown spoilt brat.

" No!" Ianto objected. " This is not his child, it's Grey's."

Confusion misted over Suzie's eyes. " So where is Grey?" She turned back towards Jack. " And why are you talking about adopting your brother's child?"

Seems Jack hadn't told Suzie anything at all.

Jack sighed, but you could tell a hint of anger was present when he started speaking. " Because my brother and his wife decided they no longer want a baby. She is of my blood. How do you expect me to let her go to strangers?"

There lay the key to Jack's behavior; he was prepared to sacrifice his own freedom for the baby's sake to prevent a person he believed belonged to his family from going to strangers.

Suzie's gaze moved back to Ianto. " And you are the mother, right? Not your sister?"

Why did Suzie have to put it like that? Ianto unconsciously rocked the baby a little more. " I was the planned carrier, not the mother. That is Gwen's position. Or it was supposed to be." Ianto amended. " I'm only the surrogate."

Suzie raised a sceptical eyebrow. " You only carried the baby?"

Ianto wriggled uncomfortably before conceding the information, " The eggs are mine, too."

" So you are the mother." Suzie cut to the basic facts of the situation.

Ianto shifted a bit more. The baby mewed. A quick downward glance revealed the baby's face had puckered up again. She was about to start crying... again. Ianto rocked the baby back and forth a bit harder; to his delight the baby relaxed. He risked raising his head. " Biologically, yes. Legally, yes. Morally, no."

Over the baby's head, Suzie gave him a long, searching look before giving him a barely noticeable nod in understanding. She then returned her eyes to Jack who was a bit busy staring at the baby and Ianto. " You should have told me. You knew I thought you were asking me to have _my_ baby."

" It makes a difference?"

" Yes. My career is demanding right now, but I would take time off for my baby. My child... and yours."

" But not for this baby?"

Suzie's eye twitched before her expression settled on tormented. She must have known in her mind that this wasn't going as she planned. Jack Harkness had actually thrown her off with this... unfortunate situation.

" This isn't fair!" Suzie exclaimed loudly.

The baby stiffened in his arms and Ianto took a mental note to keep his voice level. Unable to keep quiet any longer he stood up and dropped his jaw with words readied at the tip of his tongue.

" No, you've already cause enough trouble." Jack snarled in Ianto's direction. " Stay out of this."

Ianto saw Suzie tugging off the glittering diamond ring from her finger, he knew what was coming.

" I'm not going to do this."

Jack looked as if he couldn't believe this was happening, he was stunned by Suzie's declaration. " Wait..." He tried to reason.

" No, this isn't going to work. I believed you loved me... that you were talking of us having a baby together. But you were just using me. " Fury sparked in her dark eyes along with something that harbored a bit of humor. She thrusted the ring at Jack, telling him to take it from her. For a brief moment she looked unconcerned, until he did removed the ring from her out-stretched hand.

Did she really believe she could guilt Jack into forgetting about adopting the baby and focus just on her?

Snobs.

Selfish, dramatic, rich and arrogant snobs.

That's what the both of them are. They both just thought of themselves and what they could con from people.

Suzie tossed back her head, and her hair rippled like black silk in the light. " No one uses me."

Jack didn't respond. He simply stood and watched as the woman he'd so recently announced as his fiancée, left.

**/**

" You did that deliberately!" Jack growled as the rapid tap-tap of Suzie's heels receded down the corridor.

Ianto didn't even flinch at the accusation. " What are you talking about?"

His voice stayed soft and level as Jack moved till he was standing in front of the Welshman.

It gave Jack a strange feeling to see Ianto holding the baby that he himself already adored. So he looked away from the infant and pinned the most irritating man he'd ever met under his gaze. " You caused the scene you just witnessed."

" I caused it?" Ianto's eyes widened. " I simply told the woman with her own agen... nevermind. I told her the truth so don't blame me. You should've explained things to her."

Perhaps Ianto had a point.

Jack stared blankly at the man he despised while Ianto just moved the baby back and forth in small half-circle motions.

Suzie made it clear and in seconds his plan had started to unravel. All he could do was watch as it fell to pieces. It was all Ianto's fault. Yet he didn't even want the baby.

Ianto already had the next step planned; to identify a couple to adopt the child. Jack knew that, but didn't the Welshman realize it was a waste of time choosing other parents? He was going to adopt the baby. What Ianto didn't appear to get was that he was a man of immense financial reserves and infinite patience. He studied the man in front of him through narrowed eyes.

From his hesitation, it was clear Ianto had had little to do with babies. He knew little about them as he did. But Jack was willing to learn; the other man wasn't. He wanted this baby... and he wasn't about to let Ianto win this round.

The sooner the carrier got that into his stubborn head, the better.

" I no longer have the prospective partner you considered I need. But I still intend to adopt the baby." Jack was proud of the lack of emotion in his voice.

Ianto raised his chin, a gesture he was starting to recognize. Jack tensed.

" I've been looking over portfolios of couples who've already been screened. You've not been interviewed nor checked, yet."

" The I'll have to remedy that," Jack replied quietly. " This baby carries my blood in her veins, generations at that. She is not leaving my family."

" Not even if it would be better for her?"

Jack ran his fingers through his hair. " You don't know that. " He glanced down at the baby girl. " You could be letting the baby in for a life of hell."

" It's unlikely. The couples have been assessed and police checks carried out -"

Jack interrupted, " Who really knows what happens in the privacy of someone else's home? Do you want to submit that innocent little girl to something that could have been prevented? Do you want and wish to take that risk?"

That silenced Ianto.

As the color drained from Ianto's already pale face, leaving it a pasty shade of white, Jack realized he'd overdone it. Of course, he didn't even believe his own alarmist statement, he and Grey might have been better off adopted by a loving couple than ordered by a bamboozled judge to stay with their mother after their parent's divorce. But if his scare tactics changed Ianto's mind, then it would be worth it.

Yes unexpectedly, shame lingered within him as unhappiness and worry clouded the other man's eyes. Ianto's fingers clenched, whitening his knuckles against the baby's Disney print swaddling wrap. Jack turned away; he caught sight of Ianto's overnight bag.

After a moment, he said, " Your bags are packed. Leaving?"

Ianto nodded.

" The baby will be with you, then?"

Jack told himself that Ianto wouldn't walk away now that he'd held... engaged with... the baby. He waited for the Welshman's affirmation of what he hoped to hear.

But he didn't. Ianto shook his head. " No."

Ianto intended to go through with his vow not to keep the baby. He would leave his daughter behind. Jack still found it hard to believe that he could be so callous. " You're going to leave the baby here?"

" It's been decided that the baby will go to a specially trained foster mother who will look after her until I choose the right family out for her. Tosh and I discussed the foster mother earlier; she knows the baby is coming."

Jack stared in disbelief. It seems that Ianto was made of ice. How could the other man not understand the he was the right family. The baby belonged with him.

Anger rose like a tidal wave.

Jack reached for his wallet to retrieve the business card Tosh had given him the day before. His hands trembled at the emotion swamping him. " That's not going to happen. I'm taking the baby home with me. I'm calling your social worker and telling her so."

" No!" Ianto bellowed. " If you take her, I'll have you arrested for kidnapping."

The baby began to cry.

Jack paused his response. He watched as Ianto frantically rocked the baby... even uttering hoarse hushing sounds.

When the baby quieted, Ianto met Jack's gaze and said in a more even tone. " You need to think about the baby, Jack. It's not fair to her to form an attachment with you if she's going to be given to another family."

Angered and frustrated, he snapped, " If you would just stop being so damn stubborn, you would know that she should stay with me; be my daughter."

" And how would that work? You're never home. You work as if you aren't even human... don't deny it. Gwen's told me all about how Grey's always exhausted."

Jack bit back a surge of irritation at his sister-in-law's big mouth. " I'll rearrange my schedule."

Ianto gave him a look of pity. " You actually believe that. You're a type A, high-achieving success junkie... You need a daily fix. Staying home with a baby will drive you crazy. You'd probably crash within the first two days."

" What makes you think that?"

Ianto let his shoulders drop and gave Jack a sad smile. " Because I am exactly the same... and people like us... we're not made to have children. Babies should be placed where they will be happy, loved and be able to live fruitful lives. Taking the baby would be a selfish thing to do. Why not be selfless and allow her the chance to be happy?"

Jack refused to listen to what Ianto was saying. They were nothing alike.

Yet instead of challenging the present claim, he countered, " And you think you're any less selfish?"

" What do you mean?"

" Christmas is coming." Jack gestured to the small decorated tree standing in the corner of the waiting room. " You're sending the baby you just gave birth to, to a foster home. Her first christmas will be spent as an orphan. Alone. I won't allow it. I'm calling Ms. Sato now; I don't care how she arranges it, but that little girl in your arms is going home with me. No baby should be alone at Christmas."

**End of Chapter 4**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Bringing the baby home had to have been the most ill-considered thing he'd ever done, Ianto decided this hours ago when light began to shine through the curtains telling him it was already the start of the next morning.

He'd given up trying to get the baby to sleep after a night spent mixing formula, warming bottles and not even a wink of sleep. A glance at the clock on the wall revealed that it was already 07:30 in the morning. Normally he'd already be in the coffee shop waiting on customers while sipping at his own cup made from fragrant, personally hand-ground blend he favored, it was a must to kick-start his day. One he was quite happy to have back.

But this morning he hadn't even moved off of the sofa... much less thought about coffee.

Ianto was exhausted.

But it was worth it...

He'd refused to allow Jack to all but kidnap the baby and take it away with him. Once that happened Ianto knew Jack would never let the baby go. The only way to stop that from happening had been to take the baby home himself... and the sacrifice was probably going to kill him.

At the very least, it was going to break what was left of his heart.

He rose an eyebrow and gazed wearily at the tiny girl-monster lying next to him on the couch. " Don't you think it's time for a nap?"

The baby stared at him with round, wide-awake eyes. He guessed the answer was no.

Ianto sighed.

He really had no idea what he was doing besides what a nurse scribbled down in his journal before he left the hospital. At least the baby wouldn't starve to death; the little monster just finished a bottle. Yet it had only reinforced how much Ianto didn't know. After all, he hadn't attended the parenting classes or read any of the books on raising a child during his pregnancy because that had been Gwen's department. He only read the manuals about the dos and don'ts for the period for growing the baby, none of which were of any help now.

Thankfully he'd called an agency to engage a nanny before leaving the hospital yesterday. The agency hadn't been able to send someone at once, and Ianto wished he hadn't been so hasty in telling Jack that he was taking the baby home, but pride hadn't let him back down.

His thought at the time had been; how much trouble could a baby be?

He closed his eyes and thought about the past night... trouble hadn't even begun to describe the experience!

And after today there were still eight days to go before he could sign the adoption consent.

Ianto didn't even want to contemplate it.

Opening his eyes, he looked down at the baby, who was now wiggling her legs. Ianto knew his biggest challenge was going to be maintaining a healthy distance from this child. He didn't need to forming an attachment to a child that he wasn't going to keep. He'd hoped that the baby would spend most of the time asleep; because that was what happened most of the time in the hospital.

But taking last night into consideration it certainly didn't play out like Ianto had thought.

Since they'd gotten back home to Ianto cozy flat, most of the baby's waking time had been spent in his arms. It seemed to have forgotten what sleep was entirely. Ianto had walked her up and down for what had to have been the whole night... to no avail.

His cell phone beeped.

The messages had started from early this morning. Messages from people he didn't even want to think about right now. People who didn't know that the baby had arrived on Friday. He knew he'd have to answer them eventually, but right now he was too tired to move... or to even think.

Except sleep... that was one thing he could do. The one thing he wanted to do.

The baby chose that moment to burp.

As tired as he was, it was impossible not to smile. Ianto forced his face straight. This was not the way to maintain a healthy distance. He shifted his attention back to his cell phone. Another message beep through.

Then it rang.

It was the childcare agency he'd contacted yesterday to let him know a nanny had been dispatched. He killed the call and sighed with relief. Wrinkling his nose at the baby girl in his arms he muttered, " Sleep is on it's way."

Not even fifteen minutes later the nanny arrived. The nanny turned out to be a bit shorter than him and a man by the name of Owen Harper. And within half an hour he'd restored order, unexpectedly leaving Ianto feeling a bit inadequate. He was used to making decisions and dispensing advice, but as far as babies were concerned he was a rookie. It was hard to accept how inept he was. Explaining the situation to Owen had also proved to be difficult; so, too, the fact that the baby didn't even have a name. Yet Owen hadn't even blinked at his confession.

It made Ianto wonder what it would take to faze the other man.

Obviously a lot more than a baby created for a couple who'd decided to give her up... and a surrogate who avoided cuddling her.

With Owen taking care of the baby now he made his way to his out-of-work-office towards the back of his flat and closed the door. Once barricaded in a familiar space, Ianto struggled to concentrate. He sat at his desk trying not to freak. As little as he wanted to admit it, having the baby not only changed his body, but in mere days the infant was changing his life.

His red laptop sat on the smooth, dark green desk in front of him. Ianto flipped it open. He knew he should message back a few of the people who contacted him, but he just ended up staring blindly at the computer screen in front of him. Against his will he found himself using Google to search " baby names" and faced with pages of websites. Most popular girls' names of the seventies... eighties... nineties... noughties... and beyond.

There were websites for flower names, for seasonal names, for foreign names. How was he supposed to choose. He clicked on seasonal names.

Crystal. Merry. Noelle.

He clicked over to another page.

October. Autumn, Saffron.

Another click.

Sunny. Storm.

Ianto clicked back to the first page, to the names of Winter.

Or... Snow.

The sound of the doorbell was an unwelcome interruption. Scant seconds later the door to his office burst open, and an even more unwelcome male presence filled the doorway.

" You've hired a nanny!"

Determined not to give Jack more advantage than surprise had already awarded the man, Ianto shut the computer lid and rose to his feet. Swearing silently as he noticed just by how much Jack towered over him.

" Of course I have." Ianto met the other mans outraged gaze as calmly as he was able. " I have a job to get back to."

" You're due leave."

Ianto shook his head. " I work for myself, so any leave I take is scheduled long in advance. This time I only allowed myself a few days off." And that had been next week when the baby was supposed to have arrived; not long before Christmas. " Anyways I wasn't keeping the baby, remember? So I certainly didn't need the leave." And now, since Gwen's bombshell, Ianto knew he definitely didn't want to be sitting around with time to think.

Ianto could see Jack's eyes glittering with disbelief. " And none of that has changed since bringing the baby home?"

Ianto struggled with emotion, but he couldn't figure out which one it was. But they always said, _Attack is the best form of defense._ Right?

" Was it supposed to, Jack?" Ianto had to wonder if he actually just growled at the other man. " I have to support myself. I can only imagine what you'd say about a woman or another carrier who planned to be back at work, then take several months off instead."

Jack blinked, and Ianto saw the truth of his argument register.

" Maybe." Then he added. " But I would have understood. Eventually." Jack put his hands on his hips and rose an eyebrow. " And that argument doesn't apply here; you are your own boss."

" Which means that I can't just disappear. I need to carefully plan the times away and arrange for someone to cover for me." And most important, he wanted to avoid becoming too attached to the child. " I want to go back to my shop."

" When exactly do you plan to do that?"

" As soon as I can." Ianto didn't say " tomorrow," which was what he fully intended; so as long as his body obliged and the fatigue that was starting to make him dizzy wasn't too much of a factor.

" And dump the child you haven't even given a name to on the nanny?"

Ianto stifled a yawn. " Snow will be perfectly happy with Owen."

" Snow? _Snow?_ " Jack reared back. " You've named the baby?"

" Obviously."

Jack looked surprised. " Just now? To prove me wrong?"

" Not to prove you wrong! I picked her name earlier." He wasn't admitting to those minutes of scouring websites; after all, he couldn't even fathom what had driven him to do a Google search for baby names. It was all a bit too uncomfortable to absorb. And why did Jack think he'd done it merely to prove him wrong? Let him think it was an arbitrary name plucked out of the air. " You shouldn't assume an importance you don't have in my life."

But instead of causing Jack to puff up with annoyance as he'd intended, his comment made the other man laugh.

" Bravo," he said.

Ianto stared. Tiredness must be causing him to become befuddled. Because with Jack's white teeth flashing and laugh lines; which he'd never noticed before; crinkling around his eyes, he caused Ianto's breath to hitch in his throat. In the wickedly sparkling eyes, Ianto got a glimpse of his appeal. This must be the reason so many hung around him like bees around a honey pot.

The man looked devastating.

And all because Ianto had tried to put him in his place!

He couldn't help smiling back.

But Jack's next words wiped the smile off of his face.

" I came here expecting to find you begging me to take her away." Jack's eyes grew cloudy." I should've known you'd hire a nanny."

Jack expected him to fail at the first hurdle.

That stung!

Because even though he'd hired a nanny to keep the baby at a distance, deep in his heart he knew Jack was right. He _had_ failed. He was dangerously ignorant about babies, and it didn't help that his ignorance came because he had never truly intended to have children of his own. It only served as a reminder of his secret, deeply held conviction that he would make a terrible parent.

Mostly Jack's criticism stung because the truth of it was Ianto wasn't accustomed to failure. Whatever task he undertook he saw through to the bitter end.

And arranging for the baby's adoption would be no different; once he'd had a good-nights rest and gotten himself back to normal.

But Jack only saw a man he didn't particularly like, and wrote him off as useless. But right now, he was too tired to get into one of their usual fiery exchanges.

" Didn't you come to see Snow?" Ianto asked exhausted, but calmly.

" Thanks to the nanny, she's probably been fed at least."

Annoyance surfaced, exacerbated by the mind-numbing weariness. Did Jack believe he would neglect the baby? Just because he didn't want the child didn't mean that he'd ever see it harmed. No, not _it... her_. Snow was a little girl. Ianto sighed inwardly. It was hard enough to keep his distance to stop an attachment forming; he didn't need Jack's cruel barbs. " I looked after her all night. The nanny only just arrived."

" Then I better go check on her."

Ianto ground his teeth, and turned his head to stare blindly at the wall. Unable to help himself he blurted out, " None of the intending parents' profiles Toshiko Sato left at the hospital fit what I'm looking for."

It got so quiet, he thought Jack must've already gone, that he hadn't heard him.

That might be for the best.

He turned his head slightly, glancing over his shoulder.

Jack stood as unmoving as a marble statue he had outside his coffee shop's threshold, his eyes determined, hungry and intent.

Waiting.

This was what he'd wanted to know, wasn't it? But Ianto refused to hold out for false hope. " Tosh has already brought me another batch of portfolios for me to look at. There should be at least one set of suitable parents there."

" You're choosing them tonight?"

He shook his head, flinching inwardly at the thought of what lay ahead. Glimpses into the lives of strangers desperate for a baby. And not just any baby; the baby he had helped create.

More hopeful faces would smile out of the pages at him; with carefully picked words detailing their dreams. Each set of parents hoping they would be the chosen ones. And if he liked more than one set, it would only get harder. After meeting the couples, he'd have to choose one couple over the other. Right now he didn't want to think about the mountain that lay ahead.

" I'll do it tomorrow." Ianto turned away from the intensity that radiated from Jack and back to staring at the wall.

A moment later his footsteps receded. After the door closed softly behind him, Ianto's shoulders sagged. He sat down at his desk; flipped his laptop open again and downsized the internet window to look at his schedule.

For the next few minutes, he'd see what appointments among other things he could reschedule... then... then he'd got see what Jack was doing. See if he could hurry him along. Once Jack left he'd be able to relax. He'd go lie down in his bedroom.

And welcome the sleep his body craved.

**/**

Jack pushed the door to Ianto's office open with the flat palm of his hand and reentered the room. One glance caused him to pause.

The icicle had fallen asleep.

He crossed the room with silent steps, his footfalls muffled by the pile of pale gray carpet until he stood beside the sofa.

Yet, instead of an icicle's cold clinical perfection, Ianto's skin held a shockingly rosy flush. His hair untamed and curling at the ends, his slicked back business style nowhere in evidence.

He looked younger. Peaceful. Approachable.

Jack blinked the illusion away.

Ianto's laptop lay beneath one arm, angled and in danger of toppling off of the desk. He'd been working. Of course he had.

What had he expected?

That Ianto would be at least a bit mothering? He suppressed a snort of disgust. The baby was where he'd just left her; in the arms of the nanny. His lips pursed, he held the laptop as he lifted it's owner's arm and placed the laptop in a better location. Turning back, he took in the uncomfortable way Ianto was draped across his desk. His feet hooking around the chair, one arm dangling off the side of the desk and his body skewed in a way that one of his cheeks were pressed against a shelf. It definitely did not look comfortable.

Bending over, Jack untangled Ianto's feet carefully before lifting the Welshman into his arms. He looked around the office finding a brown leather couch off to the side and placed the sleeping man there. Instantly Ianto's feet slid over the edge. Jack stilled, fearing that he might waken. But Ianto didn't even stir.

The way Ianto was twisting his body suggested he was going to wake with a horrible crick in his neck for sure. Jack didn't know why it was bothering him, but he couldn't leave him like this. When he'd first arrived, he'd looked tired with gray shadows rimming his expressive eyes. Leaving aside his lack of motherly instincts, Ianto had been through a lot in the past few days. He'd given birth to the baby that his sister had given up. He'd had to cope with deciding the baby's future.

He must be worn out.

The first flicker of unwilling sympathy for Ianto stirred within him.

He might not agree with the decisions Ianto was planning, but he could appreciate how stressful it must be. He knelt and scooped the sleeping man up against his chest. Ianto made a tiny sound, his long lashes fluttering against his cheeks before he snuggled into the warmth radiating from Jack.

The man in his arms smelt of something sweet.

Honey and cinnamon.

Jack bit back a curse, catching himself before he could nuzzle Ianto's neck.

Straightening to his full height he strode out of the dull office and towards the end of the carpeted corridor, where a door stood ajar. With one foot, he knocked it wide to reveal what was clearly the main bedroom in the cozy flat.

What a difference.

While everywhere else in the house dominated dull and boring, Ianto's bedroom held life and excitement. Holding Ianto against him, he let his eyes travel around.

A large king-sized bed decked out in blood red satin sheets and soft fluffy pillows dominated the room. Paintings of bright beautiful landscapes hanging on ebony colored walls. He let a smile grace his face.

This wasn't anything like he expected, given the brisk business exterior Ianto Jones presented to the world.

He entered the bedroom.

Instantly he was enveloped in a mist of honey and cinnamon scent; the scent he was fast coming to associate with Ianto. Gently Jack laid him down on the red satin covered bed, then stepped back. He could hear him softly breathing. Deep and even through slightly parted pink lips. Lips that held him enthralled.

Just one kiss... and he could waken.

The idea was ridiculous, bit it persisted. Sense warred with temptation. Until, at last, Jack succumbed to the tantalizing temptation and placed the palm of his hand against Ianto's cheek and bent forward. The billionaire placed the softest of kisses on the sleeping man's lips before jerking back, his color high and feeling unaccountably foolish.

Ianto didn't stir.

He'd gotten the legend wrong; Ianto wasn't sleeping beauty; and instead of waking, the Ice Queen slept on.

**/**

It was already Tuesday, Gwen and Grey had departed for Africa; without changing their minds about the baby. It had taken all Ianto's willpower not to scream at his sister that she was making the biggest mistake of her life.

To Ianto's intense relief, Snow had already survived four full days and nights, and Ianto himself had managed to keep from becoming too attached to the newborn.

But this evening Owen had the night off. It had been something planned and that he couldn't get out of even before the agency had sent him, Ianto have waved off Owen's snarky version of apologies and told him to have fun.

Snow was sleeping peacefully in her cot upstairs. The speaker for the baby monitor laid on top a pile of Gwen's old magazines she'd left here sometime a month back.

With Owen gone, Ianto shut the front door and took advantage of the solitude. He was busily manhandling a huge, cut-pine Christmas tree into the corner of the living room, when the doorbell chimed.

He bit back a curse. No chance but to set the tree down... and undo all the progress he'd made in the past few minutes.

Impatient, he wrenched open the door.

Jack stood on the doorstep, every inch the city billionaire, immaculate in a dark, conservative business suit and a blue shirt that still managed to look crisp at the end of the day.

" May I come in?"

Before Ianto could respond, he'd brushed past him. Irritation spiked through him at his high-handedness.

Ianto's voice heavy with irony, he muttered, " Sure you can."

Jack turned and grinned. " Thank you."

The flash of that wolfish smile, the gleam of wicked laughter in his eyes, indicated that he was fully mindful of his irritation. Ianto couldn't halt the unfurling awareness that bloomed through him, starting deep in his chest and spreading outward in a glowing warmth.

This man was dynamite.

And he didn't even _like_ him. He was obnoxious, arrogant, inconsiderate. So why the melting heat in the pit of his stomach? Why wasn't he recoiling and making snide comments? What the hell was wrong with him? Ianto drew in a deep breath and was instantly flooded with a calming aroma of sandalwood, must be his aftershave.

Ianto shook his head and slowly let out the breath he'd been holding. " Snow is sleeping," he muttered as Jack brushed past him into the living room.

His response had nothing to do with the baby. " You're putting up a Christmas tree?"

Really, did he have to sound so surprised?

" Yes."

Guilt stabbed Ianto. He wasn't about to reveal that it was the first time in the five years he'd lived here that he'd done so. Or that most of the reason why he'd ordered a tree to be delivered stemmed from his barbed comments about Snow enduring her first Christmas alone. Becoming aware of the lack of festive cheer in his home had not been a welcome discovery.

" I almost had it in position... but then the doorbell rang." He gestured to where the tree lay unknowingly pouting. " Now I'll have to start all over again."

Jack strode across to where the tree lay. " I'll give you a hand and we'll have it up in minutes."

" Shouldn't you still be at work?" He bit off the comment about 'making his next million.'

Jack had walked around to the far side of the tree. Now he shot one immaculate shirt cuff back to glance at a flat black watch on his wrist. " 17:00. I've had enough for one day; boss's prerogative. I wanted to see Snow."

Ianto refused to let that sentiment tug at hidden heartstrings.

Instead he inspected the dark, formal suit he wore and decided it must be french, while he tried to ignore the effect the broad shoulders tapering down to a well fitted waist had on him. " What about your suit? You'll get resin all over it."

He reek of pine forest for months to come. Ianto doubted dry cleaning would get rid of the overpowering smell of pine. It would kill that sexy, seductive scent Jack wore so well.

Ianto's lips tilted up in secret amusement.

" What are you smiling at?"

He sounded so suspicious that Ianto's smile broadened. Jack would find out soon enough. He slanted to other man an impish look. " Nothing."

Jack rose an eyebrow at the Welshman. " Somehow I don't believe that at all. You're plotting."

" You have an over-suspicious mind."

" Do you blame me? I know exactly what you are."

Ianto's smile vanished and his eyes narrowed.

" There's no point in your staying. Snow's sleeping." Ianto had had enough of Jack's unwarranted opinions. Now he just wanted him to leave. Before he tempted him to laugh with him... and then he wounded him again. Ianto wanted him gone.

But before he could turn and walk to the front door to show Jack on his way, he asked. " Have you reached a decision on the new set of portfolios Toshiko Sato showed you?"

He'd only come to influence; make that sabotage; his decision.

It was his own fault for giving in and revealing he hadn't selected any couples from the first batch of candidates. He'd been overtired... not thinking properly... reacting with his emotions rather than his head. And look where it had gotten him; Jack hounding him.

Ianto headed for the door and opened it. " Once I reach a final decision I'll let you know. Then you can decide if you want to stay in touch with the baby and her new family. Thank you for visiting."

Even from across the room, he saw Jack's face fall.

He really wanted to see the baby, he realized.

The considerations that had led him to update him about the progress on the adoption proceedings yesterday returned. Jack was the only blood relative who was showing any interest in the baby; he deserved to be kept in the picture. This would be an open adoption. Tosh was insistent that adoptive children needed ties with their birth relatives. Those ties to family helped children grow up secure, with a healthy sense of self and identity.

Ianto recognized that he needed to set aside his own antagonism towards the man... and only think of the baby.

As much as Snow needed contact with her birth carrier, it would be to her advantage to know her birth father... and her uncle. Having a clear sense of identity would help her to stay intact as an individual as she grew up.

Even though Ianto considered Jack Harkness to be the most arrogantly selfish man on the face of the planet, for Snow's sake, he had to recognize that Jack's desire to visit Snow was a blessing.

From his position at the door, Ianto relented a little. " You can come back when Snow is awake."

But Jack showed no sign of hearing. He'd already shrugged off his jacket and put it on the sofa. " I said I'd help you with the tree."

So he was determined to stay; and ignore his wishes. Why had he ever imagined he might persuade him otherwise?

He didn't want to be stuck alone with Jack making small talk. Nor did he want him putting up the Christmas tree he'd bought for Snow. And he certainly didn't want to start thinking he was helpful. Or, god help him, indispensable.

" You know, I really don't need, " _nor want_ " your help."

All too aware of how much more defined the other man in the room was with his jacket off, Ianto didn't dare allow his treacherous eyes to linger on the lean narrow hips, the broad chest clad only in the soft, finest cotton shirt with the top button unbuttoned. Far to tempting and Ianto was tempted. " And don't forget to take your jacket with you when you go."

The sooner Jack put it back on, the sooner he'd be able to visualize his as the corporate American bully he knew once more.

Leaning on the door handle, Ianto shut his eyes to black out the image of Jack standing in his living room rolling up his shirt sleeves. How was it possible to be attracted to a man he detested?

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

**End of Chapter 5**


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